Tool for navigating a composite presentation

ABSTRACT

A computer readable medium storing a media editing application for creating media presentations is described. The application includes a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI has (1) a composite display area for displaying graphical representations of a set of media clips that are part of the composite presentation and (2) a navigation tool including several selectable navigation markers associated with several navigable locations in the composite presentation. The selection of a navigation marker causes the composite display area to present the navigable location in the composite presentation that is associated with the selected navigation marker.

CLAIM OF BENEFIT TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to United States Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/174,490 entitled “Media Clip Auditioning Used toEvaluate Uncommitted Media Content”, filed Apr. 30, 2009. Thisapplication also claims benefit to United States Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/227,070 entitled “Segmented Timeline for aMedia-Editing Application”, filed Jul. 20, 2009. In addition, thisapplication is a Continuation in Part of U.S. Non-provisional PatentApplication No. 12/433,875, now published as U.S. Patent Publication2010/0281371, entitled “Navigation Tool for Video Presentations”, filedon Apr. 30, 2009. This application is also a Continuation in Part ofU.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/551,557, nowpublished as U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0281381, entitled “GraphicalUser Interface for a Media-Editing Application With a SegmentedTimeline”, filed on Aug. 31, 2009. U.S. Non-provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 12/551,557 claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/174,490 entitled “Media Clip Auditioning Usedto Evaluate Uncommitted Media Content”, filed Apr. 30, 2009, U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/174,491 entitled “EditingKey-Indexed Graphs in Media Editing Applications”, filed Apr. 30, 2009,and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/227,070 entitled“Segmented Timeline for a Media-Editing Application”, filed Jul. 20,2009.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is related to the following application: U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/688,855, filed Jan. 15, 2010, now published asU.S. Publication No. 2010/0281384.

BACKGROUND

Digital graphic design, image editing, audio editing, and video editingapplications (hereafter collectively referred to as media contentediting applications or media editing applications) provide graphicaldesigners, media artists, and other users with the necessary tools tocreate a variety of media content. Examples of such applications includeFinal Cut Pro® and iMovie®, both sold by Apple Inc. These applicationsgive users the ability to edit, combine, transition, overlay, and piecetogether different media content in a variety of manners to create aresulting media project. The resulting media project specifies aparticular sequenced composition of any number of text, audio, image,and/or video content elements that is used to create a mediapresentation.

Various media editing applications facilitate such composition throughelectronic means. Specifically, a computer or other electronic devicewith a processor and computer readable storage medium executes the mediacontent editing application. In so doing, the computer generates agraphical interface whereby designers digitally manipulate graphicalrepresentations of the media content to produce a desired result.

One difficulty in media editing is that a user cannot easily navigate todifferent locations within a media project. At any given time, the usermay wish to quickly scroll to a different location along timeline and/oradjust the view of the timeline such that a particular region is visible(e.g., by adjusting a zoom control). In addition, a user may wish toinsert various media clips or other content at a particular locationwithin a media project without first having to manually navigate to theparticular location by, for example, scrolling and zooming to aparticular region along a timeline.

Furthermore, large media projects may include multiple clips, sections,parts, or other components that may be created, modified, reviewed, oraccessed by various users. Such users may wish to control collaborationwith respect to these project components such that the media projectreflects the latest intention of the users.

Thus, there is a need for a media editing application that allows a userto easily and automatically navigate to various sections of a mediaproject. In addition, there is a need for a media editing applicationthat allows a user to manage and control versions of project components,while collaborating with others on a project.

BRIEF SUMMARY

For a media editing application that creates composite presentations,some embodiments of the invention provide a novel navigation tool thatallows a user to navigate the representation of the compositepresentation in order to view and edit the compositing of several mediaclips. The media editing application of some embodiments includes acomposite display area (e.g., an area with multiple tracks that span atimeline) for displaying a graphical representation of a compositepresentation. The graphical representation of the composite presentationis formed in some embodiments by graphical representations of the mediaclips that form a composite presentation. In some embodiments, thecomposite display area at times cannot display or cannot usefullydisplay the entirety of the composite presentation due to the sizeand/or number of media clip representations that are included in thecomposite display area.

In some embodiments, the application's navigation tool includes severalselectable navigation markers that are associated with several navigablelocations in the composite presentation that is represented in thecomposite display area. When a navigation marker is selected, thecomposite display area presents the navigable location that isassociated with the selected navigation marker. In this manner, thenavigation tool allows a user to navigate through a large number ofmedia clips that cannot be viewed in the composite display area eventhough they are part of the composite presentation, because they havescrolled off the finite display space provided by the composite displayarea.

In some embodiments, each navigable location corresponds to a fixedlocation in the composite presentation, or to a location of a media clipor a set of associated media clips in the composite display area. Forinstance, in some embodiments, the composite presentation in thecomposite display area spans a timeline. In some such embodiments, thenavigable locations are instances along the timeline, where theseinstances are fixed locations along the timeline or temporal locationsof media clips along the timeline. In some embodiments, the navigationmarkers are associated with the media clips in the composite displayarea, and in turn through this association, are associated with thelocations in the composite presentation as the media clips havespecified locations in the presentation. In other embodiments, thenavigable locations are associated with sections along the timeline thatmay be of uniform or variable duration.

Different embodiments use different types of navigation markers. Forinstance, in some embodiments, the navigation markers are textual,graphical, or some other type of marker (e.g., prominent colors in aclip when the marker is small and compressed) from which a user caninfer a corresponding location in the composite presentation. In some ofthese embodiments, the navigation markers are thumbnail images of themedia clips in the composite presentation. For instance, in some of theembodiments that have fixed locations in the composite presentation asnavigable locations, the thumbnail images are images of the media clips(e.g., frames of video clips, cover art of audio clips, etc.) that areat or near the fixed locations. Alternatively, for some of theembodiments that define each navigable location as the location of amedia clip or a set of associated media clips, the thumbnail images areimages of the media clips associated with the navigable locations. Asanother alternative, for some embodiments that define each navigablelocation as the location of a defined section along the timeline, thethumbnail images are images of media clips that are included in (ornear) the defined sections.

For the embodiments that generate thumbnail images of media clips thatare part of a composite presentation, different techniques can be usedto generate the thumbnail images. For instance, when generating athumbnail image for a particular video clip or set of video clips, someembodiments initially identify a representative video frame for the clipor set of clips, and then generate a thumbnail image from the identifiedframe. Different embodiments identify the representative video frame fora clip or set of clips differently. For example, some embodimentsidentify the frame based on location within the clip, based on ananalysis of the clip, etc.

In some embodiments, the navigation tool and its associated navigationmarkers are placed within or adjacent to the composite display area, andspan along the composite display area in a direction along which mediaclips are arranged in the composite display area. For instance, in someembodiments, the navigation markers are arranged in at least one rowthat spans along the composite display area in the direction of thetimeline along which media clips are arranged. In some of theseembodiments, the navigation markers are arranged in the same order astheir associated locations within the composite display area. In thismanner, each navigation marker of the navigation tool represents arelative location within the composite presentation representation inthe composite display area. For instance, a first marker that is to theleft of a second marker in the navigation tool corresponds to a locationin the composite display area that is earlier than a locationcorresponding to the second marker.

Some embodiments present all the navigation markers in one display areasimultaneously. Other embodiments allow the navigation markers to scrollthrough the navigation tool's display area. Some embodiments alsoprovide zoom controls to adjust the size of the navigation markers thatare displayed in the tool's display area. The navigation tool of someembodiments also includes a highlighting feature that highlights and/orenlarges each navigation marker as the marker becomes a candidate forselection by a user (e.g., as a cursor pans across the marker while theuser is moving the cursor to a marker to select).

The navigation tool of some embodiments also includes selectablecontrols for navigating backward and forward through a stored navigationhistory of previously selected navigation markers or navigablelocations. In some embodiments, each selectable control may cause a listof previously selected navigation markers or navigable locations to bedisplayed, from which a selection of a particular navigation marker ornavigable location may be made.

The navigation tool of some embodiments further includes an insertionfeature for placing multimedia items in the composite display area forinclusion in a media presentation. For instance, in some embodiments,the media editing application includes a media library for displaying aset of selectable representations that corresponds to a set ofmultimedia items that are available for placement in a mediapresentation. In some embodiments, a user can select a particularselectable representation from the media library and move it over aparticular navigation marker of the navigation tool in order to causethe composite display area to display a particular navigable locationthat corresponds to the particular navigation marker. The user can thenplace the selectable graphical representation within the compositedisplay area in the vicinity of the particular navigable location, inorder to include the multimedia item corresponding to the particularselectable graphical representation in the media presentation.

The media editing application of some embodiments also includes aversion management feature that allows a user to create and storemultiple different composite-presentation part versions (referred tobelow as “versions”) for a section of the composite presentation. Theversion management feature of some embodiments is capable of (1)indicating whether any section of the media presentation has beenmodified since a previous version of that section was created, (2)saving a new version or deleting an existing version of any section, (3)displaying and accessing previously-saved versions of any section, (4)selecting among previously-saved versions for each section, (5) managingthe presentation of available versions (e.g., by allowing re-naming,re-ordering, etc. of versions), (6) retrieving information regardingeach version (e.g., date saved, source version, etc.), and (7) allowingcollaboration among multiple users of the media editing application. Asection of a composite presentation may include a set of one or moremedia items, a particular range along the timeline, etc. For a section,different versions may differ in the media clips used to define eachversion, the attributes of the media clips (e.g., the number, temporallocations, the in- and out-frames for the clips, etc.), the types ofoperations performed on the media clips, etc.

In some embodiments, the version management feature operates inconjunction with the navigation tool. For instance, in some suchembodiments, each section is associated with a particular navigationmarker. Other embodiment employ the version management feature withoutemploying the navigation tool, or without employing it in conjunctionwith the navigation tool (i.e., they employ both tools but do notinterrelate the operation of the two tools in any manner). In someembodiments, the version management feature indicates which sections ofthe composite display area have been modified since the last version ofeach section was saved. Different embodiments use different types ofvisual indicators. For instance, in some embodiments, the visualindicators are textual, graphical, or some other type of marker fromwhich a user can determine whether a section has been modified. In someembodiments, the visual indicators are placed at or near the navigationmarkers of the navigation tool (e.g., a colored line or other indicationis placed under the navigation markers that correspond to modifiedsections).

Previously-saved versions may be accessed using the version managementfeature of some embodiments. For instance, some embodiments display aselectable version option for each section of the composite presentationusing the selectable navigation markers of the navigation tool (e.g., byproviding a drop-down menu associated with each navigation marker). Whena particular selection option is chosen for a particular section of thecomposite presentation, the composite display area presents one or moreversions that have been previously specified for the particular section,in order to allow a user to select among one of these versions for theparticular section. If the user then selects a previously definedversion that differs from the currently version that is currently in thecomposite display area for the particular section, the media editingapplication swaps out the current version with the previously definedversion that the user selects.

Some embodiments include a version display area for simultaneouslydisplaying the available versions for a number of sections of thecomposite presentation. In some embodiments, the version display areaincludes several sets of selectable version markers, where each set isassociated with a particular section of the composite presentation. Theversion display area of some embodiments displays each set of selectableversion markers as a column of thumbnail images. In some embodiments,each column is displayed under the navigation marker that is associatedwith the particular section. When a version marker is selected for asection, the composite display area presents the version of the sectionthat is associated with the selected version marker, in place of anyother version that was previously being displayed in the compositedisplay area for the section. In this manner, the version display areaallows a user to view and select among a large number of versions.

The available versions for a section may be displayed as a first in/lastout stack in some embodiments, such that the most recently accessedversion is displayed at the top of the stack. Alternatively, someembodiments may list the available versions chronologically (e.g.,sorted by creation date), arranged according to user preference, orusing some other appropriate sorting criteria. In addition, someembodiments display a currently-selected version for each section of thecomposite presentation (e.g., by modifying the selectable navigationmarker of the navigation tool to indicate which version is currentlyselected, providing a textual indication, etc.).

The version management feature of some embodiments also allows a user tocreate new versions (e.g., by selecting a pop-up menu option, respondingto a prompt, etc.) and delete unwanted versions (e.g., through one ormore keystroke commands, through a drag operation that removes a versionfrom the version display area, etc.). Deleted versions are not displayedby the version management feature of some embodiments. However, in someembodiments, the deleted versions may be restored at a later time.

Some embodiments provide a collaboration feature that allows multipleeditors to simultaneously work on different sections of the compositepresentation. For instance, some embodiments implement the collaborationfeature in conjunction with the version management feature. In some suchembodiments, the version management feature allows one user to check outone or more versions associated with one or more sections for review,approval, and/or modification, while another user is working on otherversions of other sections of a composite presentation. The checked-outversions may be locked in some embodiments such that they cannot bemodified until check-in. The checked-out versions may be indicated invarious ways (e.g., by placing a graphical indicator at each selectablenavigation marker corresponding to a version that is currentlychecked-out). In addition, some embodiments indicate when a checked-outversion has been returned by a collaborator (e.g., by changing the colorof the graphical indicator used to show the version was previouslychecked-out). A user may then check in the returned version such thatthe version is unlocked. In some embodiments, a new version is createdwhen the returned version is checked in.

The preceding Summary is intended to serve as a brief introduction tosome embodiments of the invention. It is not meant to be an introductionor overview of all inventive subject matter disclosed in this document.The Detailed Description that follows and the Drawings that are referredto in the Detailed Description will further describe the embodimentsdescribed in the Summary as well as other embodiments. Accordingly, tounderstand all the embodiments described by this document, a full reviewof the Summary, Detailed Description and the Drawings is needed.Moreover, the claimed subject matters are not to be limited by theillustrative details in the Summary, Detailed Description and theDrawing, but rather are to be defined by the appended claims, becausethe claimed subject matters can be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit of the subject matters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appendedclaims. However, for purpose of explanation, several embodiments of theinvention are set forth in the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a graphical user interface (“GUI”) of a media editingapplication with a navigation tool of some embodiments and the use ofthe tool to navigate to a desired location in a composite project.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example GUI including a navigation tool withselectable controls of some embodiments for navigating backward andforward through a stored navigation history of previously selectednavigable locations.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example GUI including a navigation tool with aninsertion feature of some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example GUI including a version management featureof some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example GUI including a collaboration feature ofsome embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example GUI of a media editing application of someembodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example GUI of a media editing applicationincluding a navigation tool of some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example navigation tool including scroll and zoomcontrols of some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates several potential associations between the selectablenavigation markers of the navigation tool and navigable locations of thecomposite project in some embodiments.

FIG. 10 conceptually illustrates an example of a process that someembodiments use to invoke and display the navigation tool.

FIG. 11 illustrates several ways of invoking the navigation tool of someembodiments.

FIG. 12 illustrates an alternative navigation tool.

FIG. 13 illustrates another alternative navigation tool.

FIG. 14 conceptually illustrates a process used to select and size theimages used as navigation markers by some embodiments.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a conceptual process used by someembodiments to navigate to a particular location in a composite project.

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of using the navigation tool of someembodiments to navigate to a particular location in a composite project.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a conceptual process used by someembodiments to navigate to a previously-selected location in a compositeproject.

FIG. 18 illustrates another example of using the navigation tool of someembodiments to navigate to a previously-selected location in a compositeproject.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example of a conceptual process that someembodiments use to place media in a composite presentation using thenavigation tool.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example of using the navigation tool of someembodiments to navigate to a particular location in a composite mediaproject in order to add content to the composite presentation at or nearthe particular location.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example of adding content to a compositepresentation after using the navigation tool of some embodiments tonavigate to a particular location in a composite project.

FIG. 22 illustrates an example of a conceptual process that someembodiments use to invoke the version management feature.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example GUI of a media editing application ofsome embodiments.

FIG. 24 illustrates another example GUI of a media editing applicationof some embodiments.

FIG. 25 illustrates another example GUI of a media editing applicationof some embodiments.

FIG. 26 illustrates an example of a conceptual process that someembodiments use to receive version selections using the versionmanagement feature.

FIG. 27 illustrates an example of using the version display area of someembodiments to select a different version of a location in a compositeproject.

FIG. 28 illustrates an example of a conceptual process that someembodiments use to generate new versions, delete existing versions, orupdate temporary versions of a location of the composite project.

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of managing which versions are availablefor a particular location of a composite project.

FIG. 30 illustrates an example of a conceptual process that someembodiments use to check out a version for review by a collaboratorusing the version management feature of some embodiments.

FIG. 31 illustrates an example of using the version management featureof some embodiments to collaborate among users.

FIG. 32 illustrates an example of a conceptual process that someembodiments use to check in versions using the version managementfeature.

FIG. 33 illustrates another example of using the version managementfeature of some embodiments to collaborate among users.

FIG. 34 illustrates an example data structure of a composite projectfile used by some embodiments to implement various tools and features ofthe media editing application.

FIG. 35 conceptually illustrates the software architecture of the mediaediting application of some embodiments.

FIG. 36 conceptually illustrates a process used by some embodiments todefine a media-editing application.

FIG. 37 illustrates a computer system with which some embodiments of theinvention are implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the invention, numerousdetails, examples, and embodiments of the invention are set forth anddescribed. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in theart that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth andthat the invention may be practiced without some of the specific detailsand examples discussed.

For a media editing application that creates composite presentations,some embodiments of the invention provide a novel navigation tool thatallows a user to navigate the representation of the compositepresentation in order to view and edit the compositing of several mediaclips. A media clip is a graphical representation of a piece of mediacontent that is stored on the computing device on which the mediaediting application executes, or on a computing device to which themedia editing application has access. Examples of such content includeaudio data, video data, text data, pictures, and/or other media data.Accordingly, media clips are any kind of content clip (audio clip, videoclip, text clip, picture clip, or other media clip) that can be used tocreate a composite presentation.

For some embodiments of the invention, FIG. 1 illustrates a graphicaluser interface (“GUI”) 100 of a media editing application with such anavigation tool. Specifically, this figure illustrates the GUI 100 atfive different stages 110, 120, 130, 140, and 145 that show how thenavigation tool can be used to navigate a composite presentation in someembodiments. Each of these stages will be described in more detail belowafter an introduction of the elements of GUI 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the GUI 100 includes a composite display area 150, apreview display area 155, a media library 160, a navigation toolactivation GUI item 165, a navigation tool 170, and one or more tracks(e.g., track 175) in the composite display area. The composite displayarea 150 includes multiple tracks that span a timeline and displays agraphical representation of the composite presentation (also called a“composite representation”) by displaying media clips that form thecomposite presentation. The preview display area 155 displays a previewof a composite presentation that the application creates by compositingseveral media clips. The media library 160 is an area in the GUI 100through which the application's user can select media clips to add to apresentation that the user is compositing with the application. Asshown, media clips may be displayed with different appearances indifferent areas of the GUI 100. For instance, the media clips in themedia library 160 in this example are represented using thumbnail view(i.e., represented using a set equally-sized images), while the mediaclips in the composite display area are represented using a clip view(i.e., represented using a set of rectangular representations where thelength of the rectangle provides a visual indicator of the length of theassociated clip).

The navigation tool activation item 165 is a conceptual illustration ofone or more user interface (“UI”) items that allow the navigation tool170 to be invoked. Different embodiments of the invention implement thisUI item differently. Some embodiments implement it as a UI button,others as an option that can be selected in a pull-down or drop-downmenu, and still others as a command that can be invoked through one ormore keystroke operations. Yet other embodiments allow the user toinvoke the navigation tool through two or more of such UIimplementations or other UI implementations. In some embodiments, themedia editing application displays the navigation tool 170 once it isinvoked through the activation item 165.

In the example of FIG. 1, the application's navigation tool 170 includesseveral selectable navigation markers (e.g., marker 172) that areassociated with several navigable locations in the compositerepresentation that is displayed in the composite display area. When anavigation marker is selected, the composite display area presents thenavigable location that is associated with the selected navigationmarker. In this manner, the navigation tool allows a user to navigatethrough a large number of media clips that cannot be viewed in thecomposite display area even though they are part of the compositerepresentation, because they have scrolled off the finite display spaceprovided by the composite display area.

In some embodiments, each navigable location corresponds to a fixedlocation in the composite representation, or to a location of a mediaclip or a set of associated media clips in the composite display area.For instance, in the example of FIG. 1, the composite representation inthe composite display area spans a timeline. In some such embodiments,the navigable locations are instances along the timeline, where theseinstances are fixed locations along the timeline or temporal locationsof media clips along the timeline. In some embodiments, the navigationmarkers are associated with the media clips in the composite displayarea, and in turn through this association, are associated with thelocations in the composite representation as the media clips havespecified locations in the composite representation. In otherembodiments, the navigable locations are associated with sections alongthe timeline that may be of uniform or variable duration.

Different embodiments use different types of navigation markers. Forinstance, in some embodiments, the navigation markers are textual,graphical, or some other type of marker (e.g., prominent colors in aclip when the marker is small and compressed) from which a user caninfer a corresponding location in the composite representation. In theexample of FIG. 1, the navigation markers are thumbnail images of themedia clips in the composite presentation. In some of the embodimentsthat have fixed locations in the composite representation as navigablelocations, the thumbnail images are images of the media clips (e.g.,thumbnail images of frames of video clips, cover art of audio clips,etc.) that are at or near the fixed locations. Alternatively, for someof the embodiments that define each navigable location as the locationof a media clip or a set of associated media clips, the thumbnail imagesare images of the media clips associated with the navigable locations.As another alternative, for some embodiments that define each navigablelocation as the location of a defined section along the timeline, thethumbnail images are images of media clips that are included in (ornear) the defined sections.

For the embodiments that generate thumbnail images of media clips thatare part of a composite presentation, different techniques can be usedto generate the thumbnail images. For instance, when generating athumbnail image for a particular video clip or set of video clips, someembodiments initially identify a representative video frame for the clipor set of clips, and then generate a thumbnail image from the identifiedframe. Different embodiments identify the representative video frame fora clip or set of clips differently. For example, some embodimentsidentify the frame based on location within the clip, based on ananalysis of the clip, etc.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the navigation tool 170 and itsassociated navigation markers 172 are placed in one row that is adjacentto the composite display area and spans along the composite display areain a direction along which media clips are arranged in the compositedisplay area. Other embodiments arrange the navigation tool and itsmarkers differently. For instance, some embodiments place this tool andits markers in one row in the composite display area, or in more thanone row adjacent or within the composite display area.

Also, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the media editingapplication presents all the navigation markers in one display areasimultaneously. Other embodiments allow the navigation markers to scrollthrough the navigation tool's display area. Some embodiments alsoprovide zoom controls to adjust the size of the navigation markers thatare displayed in the tool's display area. The navigation tool 170 alsoincludes a highlighting feature that highlights and/or enlarges eachnavigation marker 172 as the marker becomes a candidate for selection bya user (e.g., as a cursor pans across the marker while the user ismoving the cursor to a marker to select).

The navigation markers 172 are arranged in the same order as theirassociated locations within the composite display area. In this manner,each navigation marker 172 of the navigation tool 170 represents arelative location within the composite representation in the compositedisplay area. For instance, a first marker that is to the left of asecond marker in the navigation tool corresponds to a location in thecomposite display area that is earlier than a location corresponding tothe second marker.

The operation of the GUI 100 will now be described by reference to thestate of this GUI during the five stages 110, 120, 130, 140, and 145that are illustrated in FIG. 1. In the first stage 110, the compositedisplay area 150 displays a composite representation that includesseveral clips that span along a timeline (not shown). A user might haveadded these clips to the composite representation in a current editingsession or by opening a composite project (alternatively referred to asa “project”) that was defined in a previous editing session. In thefirst stage 110, the navigation tool has not yet been activated.

The second stage 120 displays GUI 100 after the navigation tool 170 hasbeen activated upon the selection of the navigation activation item 165(e.g., through a cursor click operation). This stage 120 illustratesthis activation by changing the appearance of GUI item 165 and bydisplaying the navigation tool 170 above the composite display area 150.Other embodiments might indicate the activation of the navigation toolwithout any change in appearance of any UI items or by changing theappearance of other UI items. For instance, in some embodiments wherethe GUI item 165 is implemented as a command that is invoked through oneor more keystrokes (or a selection from a drop-down menu, etc.), theactivation of the navigation tool is only indicated by the appearance ofthe navigation tool above the composite display area. As mentionedabove, the navigation tool may have a different look or may be placed ina different location with respect to the composite display area in otherembodiments.

In this example, a navigation marker 174 has been shown with a thickerborder to indicate that the navigation marker corresponds to thelocation shown in the composite display area. Different embodiments mayindicate such a navigation maker in different ways or not at all. Bydifferentiating the navigation marker that corresponds to the currentlydisplayed location (if any), the navigation tool provides, at startup,an indication of the location displayed in the composite display area.

When the navigation tool is invoked in the second stage 120, thecomposite display area 150 displays the composite representation at aparticular zoom level that allows only a portion of the compositerepresentation to appear within the display area 150. The remainder ofthe composite representation is outside of the display area 150. FIG. 1uses dashed lines to illustrate portions of the composite representationthat fall outside of the display area 150.

In the third stage 130, a user moves a cursor 180 to a location over thenavigation tool. As shown, this action has caused a selectablenavigation marker 185 to be enlarged and highlighted, in order tohighlight this marker and to indicate that it is a candidate forselection by the user. In this example, the navigation markercorresponds to a particular clip 190 in the composite representation.The particular clip 190 is highlighted with a cross-hatch pattern. Thishighlighting is not performed by the media editing application butrather is presented in FIG. 1 in order to identify this clip 190 in thisfigure. The clip 190 is completely outside of the composite display areain the third stage 130.

The fourth stage 140 illustrates the GUI 100 after the user has selectedthe navigation marker 185 (e.g., by clicking on this marker). Thisselection causes the composite representation to scroll through thecomposite display area 150 in order to cause the particular clip 190 toappear in the display area 150. The fourth stage 140 illustrates anarrow 195 to indicate that the scrolling is in midstream, i.e., it isbefore the clip 190 has reached its final location in response to theselection of the marker 185.

The fifth stage 145 shows the GUI 100 after the clip 190 has reached itsfinal destination after the selection of the marker 185. The selectedclip is now visible in the composite display area. In this example, theclip has been positioned at the far left of the composite display area,however different embodiments may position the selected location atdifferent places within the composite display area (e.g., at an offsetfrom the far left, at a location selected by a user, etc.).

In the fifth stage 145, the clip 190 is fully visible in the compositedisplay area along with other clips that neighbor it. Some embodimentsautomatically perform zoom adjustments (adjustments without direct userinput) to adjust the zoom level in the composite display area so that adesired number of neighboring clips (or desired neighboring ranges alongthe timeline) are presented along with the clip that is brought up inresponse to a navigation selection through the tool 170. In someembodiments, the desired number of neighboring clips and the location ofthe retrieved clip in the composite display area can be specified by auser through preference settings of the media editing application.

In some embodiments, the navigation tool includes selectable controlsfor navigating backward and forward through a stored navigation historyof previously selected navigation markers or navigable locations. Insome embodiments, each selectable control may cause a list of previouslyselected navigation markers or navigable locations to be displayed, fromwhich a selection of a particular navigation marker or navigablelocation may be made.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a GUI 200 that includes a navigationtool 170 with such selectable controls 250. The GUI 200 is the same GUI100 described above in reference to FIG. 1, except that the GUI 200includes the selectable controls 250. In this example, the selectablecontrols 250 includes (1) a backward arrow that allows a user to selectpreviously selected navigation locations that were selected before acurrently selected navigation location, and (2) a forward arrow thatallows a user to select previously selected navigation locations thatwere selected after a currently selected navigation location.

FIG. 2 illustrates the GUI 200 at four different stages 210-240 thatillustrate an example of using the navigation tool to navigate backwardwithin a composite representation. An analogous example for navigatingforward within the composite representation will be provided below byreference to FIG. 18.

In FIG. 2, the first stage 210 illustrates the composite display area150 displaying a particular navigable location within the compositerepresentation. In this example, the location is the same location thatwas displayed in the fifth stage 145 of FIG. 1. The second stage 220then illustrates a user selecting the back button of the selectablecontrols 250 (e.g., by moving a cursor 180 over the back button andperforming a click operation). As shown, this action has caused a pop-upmenu 260 to be displayed. The pop-up menu then displays thepreviously-selected navigable locations. In some embodiments, thelocations are displayed as a first-in/last-out list, such that thebackward button displays the most recently selected backward location(i.e., the mostly recently selected location before the currentlocation) at the top of the list. The second stage 220 illustrates thatuser's selection of backward option 270 (e.g., by positioning the cursorover the desired option 270 and performing a click operation). Thelocation corresponding to option 270 is the location of the clip 275,which has been indicated by a cross-hatch pattern in order to identifyits location for illustrative purposes in this figure.

The third stage 230 illustrates the GUI 200 after the user has selectedthe backward option 270. This selection causes the compositerepresentation to scroll through the composite display area 150 in orderto cause the particular clip 275 to appear in the display area 150. Thethird stage 230 illustrates an arrow 280 to indicate that the scrollingis in midstream, i.e., it is before the clip 275 has reached its finallocation in response to the selection of the option 270. The fourthstage 240 shows the GUI 200 after the clip 275 has reached its finaldestination after the selection of the option 270. The selected clip isnow visible in the composite display area. In this example, the clip hasbeen positioned at the far left of the composite display area, but otherembodiments may position the selected location at different placeswithin the composite display area (e.g., at an offset from the far left,at a location selected by a user, etc.).

In the fourth stage 240, the clip 275 is fully visible in the compositedisplay area along with other clips that neighbor it. As mentionedabove, some embodiments allow a user through preference settings of themedia editing application to specify the desired number of neighboringclips and the location of the retrieved clip in the composite displayarea. The forward navigation may be performed in a similar manner tothat shown in FIG. 2. One such example will be described below byreference to FIG. 18. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize thatother embodiments also implement the forward and backward navigationfeature differently than the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 18.For instance, some embodiments simply navigate to the mostrecently-selected backward or forward location upon the selection ofbackward or forward arrows without first presenting a list of backwardor forward selectable options.

In some embodiments, the navigation tool allows a user to combine a clipinsertion operation with a navigation operation. FIG. 3 illustrates anexample of performing such a combined operation in the GUI 200, which isidentical to the GUI 200 of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 illustrates the GUI 200 atfour different stages 310-340 that illustrate one example of using thenavigation tool to insert a media clip at a desired location within acomposite representation. The first stage 310 shows the compositedisplay area 150 as being in the same state in which this area startedin the example in FIG. 1 and ended in the example in FIG. 2. In thisstage, a user selects a particular clip 350 from the media library 160by moving the cursor 180 to a location over the particular clip andperforming a click operation. In the second stage 320, the user movesthe selected clip to a location over the navigation tool. As shown, thisaction has caused selectable navigation marker 185 to be enlarged andhighlighted in order to indicate that this marker has been selected. Asmentioned above, the navigation marker corresponds to clip 190, whichagain has been highlighted with a cross-hatch pattern to help identifythis clip in FIG. 3. At this stage, the clip 190 is completely outsideof the composite display area in the third stage 130.

The third stage 330 illustrates that the selection of the navigationmarker 185 has caused the composite representation to scroll through thecomposite display area 150 in order to cause the particular clip 190 toappear in the display area 150. The third stage 330 illustrates an arrow195 to indicate that the scrolling is in midstream, i.e., it is beforethe clip 190 has reached its final location in response to the selectionof the marker 185. The fourth stage 340 shows the GUI 200 after the clip190 has reached its final destination after the selection of the marker185. The selected clip is positioned at the far left of the compositedisplay area and is completely visible in the composite display area.However, as mentioned above, other embodiments may position the selectedlocation at different places within the composite display area (e.g., atan offset from the far left, at a location selected by a user, etc.),and may allow a user to specify the desired number of neighboring clipsand the location of the selected clip in the composite display area.

The fourth stage 340 shows the insertion of clip 350 in the compositedisplay area at a location 360 near the location of the clip 190 in thecomposite display area. This insertion is done by dragging the clip 350from its previous position over the marker 185 to the location 360.Accordingly, through a single click-and-drag operation, the user (1)selects the clip 350 from the media library 160, (2) drags this clip tothe marker 185 to cause the display area 150 to present the locationadjacent to clip 190, and (3) drags and drops the clip 350 at thepresented location. By so placing the clip 350 in the compositerepresentation in the composite display area, the user edits thecomposite presentation to include the clip at the particular location inthe composite presentation specified by the user.

The media editing application of some embodiments also includes aversion management feature that allows a user to create and storemultiple different composite-presentation part versions (referred tobelow as “versions”) for a section of the composite representation. Theversion management feature of some embodiments is capable of (1)indicating whether any section of the media presentation has beenmodified since a previous version of that section was created, (2)saving a new version or deleting an existing version of any section, (3)displaying and accessing previously-saved versions of any section, (4)selecting among previously-saved versions for each section, (5) managingthe presentation of available versions (e.g., by allowing re-naming,re-ordering, etc. of versions), (6) retrieving information regardingeach version (e.g., date saved, source version, etc.), and (7) allowingcollaboration among multiple users of the media editing application. Asection of a composite representation may include a set of one or moremedia items, a particular range along the timeline, etc. For a section,different versions may differ in the media clips used to define eachversion, the attributes of the media clips (e.g., the number, temporallocations, the in- and out-frames for the clips, etc.), the types ofoperations performed on the media clips, etc.

In some embodiments, the version management feature operates inconjunction with the navigation tool. For instance, in some suchembodiments, each section is associated with a particular navigationmarker. Other embodiment employ the version management feature withoutemploying the navigation tool, or without employing it in conjunctionwith the navigation tool (i.e., they employ both tools but do notinterrelate the operation of the two tools in any manner). In someembodiments, the version management feature indicates which sections ofthe composite display area have been modified since the last version ofeach section was saved. Different embodiments use different types ofvisual indicators. For instance, in some embodiments, the visualindicators are textual, graphical, or some other type of marker fromwhich a user can determine whether a section has been modified. In someembodiments, the visual indicators are placed at or near the navigationmarkers of the navigation tool (e.g., a colored line or other indicationis placed under the navigation markers that correspond to modifiedsections).

Previously-saved versions may be accessed using the version managementfeature of some embodiments. For instance, some embodiments display aselectable version option for each section of the compositerepresentation using the selectable navigation markers of the navigationtool (e.g., by providing a drop-down menu associated with eachnavigation marker). When a particular selection option is chosen for aparticular section of the composite representation, the compositedisplay area presents one or more versions that have been previouslyspecified for the particular section, in order to allow a user to selectamong one of these versions for the particular section. If the user thenselects a previously defined version that differs from the currentversion that is displayed in the composite display area for theparticular section, the media editing application swaps out the currentversion with the previously defined version that the user selects.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of how such a version management featureis implemented by some embodiments. Specifically, this figureillustrates the GUI 200 at four different stages 410-440 that show anexample of using the version management feature to select a differentversion of a particular section. The GUI 200 is the same GUI describedabove in reference to FIGS. 2-3.

The first stage 410 illustrates the composite display area 150 asdisplaying a particular location of the composite representation. Thefirst stage also shows selectable indicators 450 placed under variousnavigation markers. These indicators are used to show which navigationmarkers refer to sections that have multiple available versions. At thisstage, the composite display area displays a particular version for anavigation marker 455 within the navigation tool 170. In this example,the navigation marker 455 corresponds to several clips 460 and 465 thatform a set of associated clips. In other examples, the navigation marker455 might correspond to just one clip, to a temporal location in thecomposite display area, or to a section in the composite display area.

When a navigation marker has multiple versions associated with it (asindicated by an indicator 450), a user can view the associated versionsby selecting the indicator 450. The second stage 420 illustrates aselection of the navigation marker 455 by moving the cursor 180 to alocation over the indicator and performing a click operation. Othermechanisms (such as right-click operation over a navigation marker,keystroke commands, etc.) can also be used in some embodiments to selectthe navigation maker 455 in order to view the versions associated withit. As shown in the second stage 420, the selection of the navigationmarker 455 causes a display area 470 (a pop-up menu in this example) tobe presented. This display area 470 provides a list of the versionsassociated with the navigation maker 455.

The third stage 430 illustrates the user selecting a particular version480 from the pop-up menu 470. This version 480 differs from the versionthat was previously displayed in the composite display area in the firstand second stages 410 and 420. As mentioned above, this prior versionwas formed by clips 460 and 465. The fourth stage 440 shows the resultof the selection of the version 480. As shown in this stage, theselection of this version has added clip 490 to the composite displayarea. In other words, this version includes the clips 460 and 465 in thesame temporal locations as the previous version shown in the first andsecond stages 410 and 420. The version 480 also includes the clip 490 onthe track between the tracks that holds the clips 460 and 465.

The fourth stage 440 also illustrates that the swapping of version 480for the prior version changes the thumbnail of the navigation marker455. In some embodiments, this does not always happen when one versionis swapped with another version. However, when the representativethumbnail image differs between two versions, some embodiments modifythe thumbnail image of the marker associated with the two images toprovide an accurate pictorial representation of the version that iscurrently deployed in the composite display area. As an additionalindication of the swapping of the two versions, the fourth stage 440further illustrates an updated preview display in the preview displayarea 155. This updated preview corresponds to an image (e.g., a frame)associated with the new clip 490, whereas the preview in this displayarea 155 previously displayed a preview of an image associated with oneof the other clips 460 and 465.

Some embodiments include a version display area for simultaneouslydisplaying the available versions for a number of sections of thecomposite representation. In some embodiments, the version display areaincludes several sets of selectable version markers, where each set isassociated with a particular section of the composite representation.The version display area of some embodiments displays each set ofselectable version markers as a column of thumbnail images. In someembodiments, each column is displayed under the navigation marker thatis associated with the particular section. When a version marker isselected for a section, the composite display area presents the versionof the section that is associated with the selected version marker, inplace of any other version that was previously being displayed in thecomposite display area for the section. In this manner, the versiondisplay area allows a user to view and select among a large number ofversions.

The available versions for a section may be displayed as a first in/lastout stack in some embodiments, such that the most recently accessedversion is displayed at the top of the stack. Alternatively, someembodiments may list the available versions chronologically (e.g.,sorted by creation date), arranged according to user preference, orusing some other appropriate sorting criteria. In addition, someembodiments display a currently-selected version for each section of thecomposite presentation (e.g., by modifying the selectable navigationmarker of the navigation tool to indicate which version is currentlyselected, providing a textual indication, etc.). Such a version displayarea is described in more detail below in reference to FIG. 25.

The version management feature of some embodiments also allows a user tocreate new versions (e.g., by selecting a pop-up menu option, respondingto a prompt, etc.) and delete unwanted versions (e.g., through one ormore keystroke commands, through a drag operation that removes versionof the version display area, etc.). Deleted versions are not displayedby the version management feature of some embodiments. However, in someembodiments, the deleted versions may be restored at a later time.

Some embodiments provide a collaboration feature that allows multipleeditors to simultaneously work on different sections of the compositerepresentation. For instance, some embodiments implement thecollaboration feature in conjunction with the version managementfeature. In some such embodiments, the version management feature allowsone user to check out one or more versions associated with one or moresections for review, approval, and/or modification, while another useris working on other versions of other sections of a compositepresentation. The checked-out versions may be locked in some embodimentssuch that they cannot be modified until check-in. The checked-outversions may be indicated in various ways (e.g., by placing a graphicalindicator at each selectable navigation marker corresponding to aversion that is currently checked-out). In addition, some embodimentsindicate when a checked-out version has been returned by a collaborator(e.g., by changing the color of the graphical indicator used to show theversion was previously checked-out). A user may then check in thereturned version such that the version is unlocked. In some embodiments,a new version is created when the returned version is checked in.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of GUI 200 that implements thecollaboration feature with the version management feature in the mannermentioned above. This figure presents the GUI 200 at four differentstages 510-540 that illustrate an example of using the navigationmarkers of the navigation tool 170 to implement the collaborationfeature of some embodiments. The GUI 200 is the same GUI described abovein reference to FIGS. 2-4.

The first stage 510 of FIG. 5 shows the positioning of the cursor 180over a navigation marker 550. This positioning has resulted in thehighlighting of the navigation marker 550 to indicate that it is acandidate for selection by a user. At this point, the user performs oneor more keystroke commands (e.g., a hot key command) and/or cursorcommands (e.g., a right click operation) in order to open a pop-up menuassociated with the navigation marker 550.

The second stage 520 illustrates the opening of this pop-up menu 560. Asshown, the pop-up menu provides access to various edit operations (suchas cut, copy and paste) with respect to the composite-presentationsection associated with the navigation marker 550. It also providesaccess to a selectable collaboration item 565 that is associated withthe composite-presentation section corresponding to navigation marker550.

The third stage 530 illustrates that the selection of the collaborationitem 565 and presents another display area 570 that lists severalselectable collaboration options 575. These options 575 specify twopreviously-specified collaborators, “Bill” and “Ted”, as well as a “New”option for specifying a new collaborator for the composite presentationsection associated with the marker 550. In the third stage 530, the userselects a particular collaboration option 580, which in this example isthe collaborator Ted for working on the audio component of the compositepresentation section associated with the marker 550. In this example,the user selects Ted by moving the cursor over the name Ted andperforming a click operation; however, the user can select Ted throughother keystroke and/or cursor commands in some embodiments. Afterselecting one of the collaboration options 575, some embodiments promptthe user for various information (e.g., the name and e-mail address ofthe collaborator if not previously entered, the format of data to besent to the collaborator, etc.) that is needed for initiating orresuming a collaboration with the selected collaborator.

The fourth stage 540 shows the result of the user's selection of thecollaborator “Ted”. The section associated with the selected navigationmarker is now locked, as indicated by marker 585 shown in detail inbreakout section 590. The breakout section shows an enlarged version ofthe marker 585 to better highlight the appearance of this marker.

The breakout section 590 also illustrates a second marker 595 that someembodiments use to highlight the need for a user to review acollaborator's returned review and/or revisions to a section.Specifically, when the collaborator returns the section associated withthe navigation marker 550, the GUI 200 of some embodiments allows theuser that checked out this section to the collaborator to decide whetherto accept the collaborator's review and/or revision to this section. Forsome of these embodiments, the GUI 200 uses the second marker 595 toindicate that the section has been returned to the user by thecollaborator and is ready for the user's review to determine whether toaccept the collaborator's review and/or revisions to this section. Theuser may then accept or decline to check in the collaborator's reviewand/or revision (e.g., through a pop-up menu similar to menu 560). Aftercheck in is approved or declined, the indicator 585 or 595 may beremoved from the display.

While many embodiments were described above by reference to a timeline,media editing applications may use other types of representations ofcomposite presentations. For instance, some media editing applications(such as Shake® sold by Apple Inc.) use a tree-based graph approach toillustrate the compositing of a multi-media project. In such editingapplications, each node may represent media and/or image processingoperations while the links between nodes sometimes represent a sequenceof operations. In these embodiments, the navigable locations may referto nodes, groups of nodes, links among nodes, a combination of nodes andlinks, etc.

In addition, although many examples refer to a navigation tool thatprovides direct navigation to various locations without any hierarchicalrelationship between the locations, different embodiments may allowdifferent types of navigation. For instance, some embodiments mayinclude hierarchical navigation where the selection of a particularnavigation marker may provide a set of markers corresponding tosub-locations of the selected marker. Furthermore, although manyexamples below show GUI items and controls similar to a video editingapplication, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that othertypes of applications may be used (e.g., video playing applications,photo viewing applications, audio editing applications, etc.).

Several more detailed embodiments of the invention are described in thesections below. Section I provides a description of a media editingapplication that uses the navigation tool of some embodiments of theinvention. This section also further describes various ways to invokeand use the navigation tool in some embodiments. Section II thendescribes using the navigation tool to perform clip insertion. SectionIII then describes the versioning and collaboration aspects of thenavigation tool of some embodiments. Section IV follows that discussionwith a description of the software modules and data structures used toimplement the media editing application of some embodiments. Next,Section V describes the process used to define the media editingapplication of some embodiments. Lastly, Section VI describes a computersystem which implements some of the embodiments of the invention.

I. Navigation Tool

Sub-section I.A below describes the environment in which the navigationtool operates in some embodiments by reference to FIGS. 6-8. Sub-sectionI.B then describes various types of navigable locations that may beincluded in a project by reference to FIG. 9. Next, sub-section I.Cdescribes various ways to invoke and display the navigation tool byreference to FIGS. 10-14. Lastly, sub-section I.D describes navigatingwith the navigation tool by reference to FIGS. 15-16.

A. Media Editing Application Environment

For some embodiments of the invention, FIG. 6 illustrates a GUI 600 of amedia editing application. Specifically, this figure illustrates oneexample layout of various components included in a typical userinterface of a media editing application. As shown in FIG. 6, the GUI600 includes a preview display area 610, a media library 620, acomposite display area 630, various buttons 640 and other controls 650,a menu bar 660, one or more tracks (e.g., track 670) in the compositedisplay area, a playhead 680, a navigation tool selection GUI item 685,and a cursor 690.

The preview display area 610 displays a preview of a compositepresentation that the application creates by compositing several mediaclips. The media library 620 is an area in the GUI 600 through which theapplication's user can select media clips to add to a presentation thatthe user is compositing with the application. In the example of FIG. 6,the clips in the media library are represented as thumbnails that can beselected and added to the composite display area 630 (e.g., through adrag-and-drop operation or a menu selection operation). The clips in themedia library may also be represented as a list, a set of icons, or someother representation that allows a user to view and select the variousclips in the library. In some embodiments, the media library 620 mayinclude audio clips, video clips, text overlays, pictures, and/or othermedia. The media library 620 may provide access to media that is storedlocally or at a central location (e.g., a location accessed through anetwork).

In some embodiments media content may be selected from locations outsidethe media library 620 or the GUI 600. For instance, in some embodimentsa user selects media clips using other components of GUI 600 (e.g., byusing menu commands provided by the menu bar 660, by copying a clip thatis displayed in the composite display area 630, etc.). In addition, someembodiments allow a user to select media clips from a location outsidethe GUI 600 (e.g., the desktop, a folder that includes media content, abrowser window, a GUI provided by another application, etc.) and placethe content at a location within the GUI (e.g., in the media library620, at a location in the composite display area 630, etc.).

The composite display area 630 displays one or more media clips that arepart of the composite representation. In the example illustrated in FIG.6, the composite display area 630 is an area that includes multipletracks that span a timeline (e.g., track 670). One or more media clips675 can be placed on each track. The various buttons and controls640-650 are conceptual representations of UI items that allow the userto adjust and/or control various aspects of the media editingapplication (e.g., by selecting various options, executing variouscommands, specifying the values of certain parameters, etc.). The menubar 660 provides several grouped sets of menu commands and options forthe media editing application.

The playhead 680 is for highlighting an instance in time in thecomposite representation that is being shown in the composite displayarea. Highlighting this instance in time is useful for a variety ofreasons. For example, when viewing a preview of the compositepresentation in the preview display area 610, the playhead 680 scrollsacross the timeline to identify the location in the compositerepresentation in the composite display area 630 that is being currentlydisplayed in the preview display area 610. In addition, as furtherdescribed below, the playhead 680 location also acts as an insertionpoint when adding clips, effects, or other media to the project. Thenavigation tool selection GUI item 685 is a conceptual representation ofone or more UI items for activating a navigation tool of someembodiments. The cursor 690 provides feedback to a user and operatesvarious selection items or other controls included in the GUI 600. Thecursor 690 also allows a user to select or manipulate variousrepresentations of content that are included in the GUI 600. Theoperation of the GUI 600 will be described below.

In addition to the components included in GUI 600, FIG. 6 shows a listof video clips in a browser window 695 that is displayed separately fromthe GUI 600. The browser window 695 in this example includes a list ofvideo clips along with metadata (e.g., time code information) about thevideo clips. In some embodiments, the list of video clips is the list ofvideo clips in a particular sequence of video clips, and the metadataspecifies in and out points, durations, etc. for the video clips. Inthis example, the browser window is displayed separately from the othercomponents of the GUI 600; however, the browser window may alternativelybe displayed within the GUI 600. Similarly, various other elements ofGUI 600 may be displayed at a location external to GUI 600. In addition,although the browser window 695 is displayed separately from the GUI600, the browser window and GUI may conjunctively perform variousoperations (e.g., modifications to items in the browser window mayaffect the display of the GUI 600, the data included in a compositeproject that is active in the GUI 600, etc.).

FIG. 7 illustrates another example GUI 600 of a media editingapplication of some embodiments. Specifically, this figure shows a GUIthat includes a navigation tool 710 of some embodiments. The GUI 600 isthe same GUI described above in reference to FIG. 6. As shown, inaddition to the elements described above in reference to FIG. 6, the GUI600 of FIG. 7 includes the navigation tool 710 for navigating todifferent locations within a composite representation. In this example,the navigation tool includes various thumbnail images 720 that serve asselectable navigation markers associated with different navigablelocations of the composite representation. In this example, thethumbnail images are all the same, however, a typical application woulduse different thumbnails for different markers. Different embodimentsuse different types of markers (e.g., textual, graphical, etc.). In someembodiments, a user may customize the display of the navigation tool 710by selecting the desired type of marker from a set of available options.

The navigation tool of some embodiments also includes labels 730associated with each of the navigation markers in order to provideinformation to a user regarding the navigable locations associated withthe markers. In some embodiments, the labels are not displayed unless auser explicitly activates the labels (e.g., by selecting a menu option,through one or more keystroke commands, etc.). Different embodimentsdisplay the labels in different ways or do not display the labels atall. The labels are generated automatically in some embodiments (i.e.,without direct user intervention). In some embodiments, a user maymanually enter some or all of the labels (e.g., by labeling navigationmarkers with relevant information such as “intro”, “scene 1”, “clip 3”,etc.). The operation of the navigation tool 710 under various differentscenarios will be described below in sub-section I.C.

FIG. 8 illustrates another example navigation tool 710 of someembodiments. Specifically, this figure shows a GUI that includes anavigation tool with conceptual scroll and zoom controls of someembodiments. The GUI 600 is the same GUI described above in reference toFIGS. 6-7. As shown, in addition to the elements described above inreference to FIGS. 6-7, the GUI 600 of FIG. 8 includes a scroll control810 and a conceptual zoom control 820 for adjusting the display of thenavigation tool. Different embodiments of the invention implement theseUI items differently. Some embodiments implement each UI item as a UIbutton, others as an option that can be selected in a pull-down ordrop-down menu, still others as a command that can be invoked throughone or more keystroke operations, and yet others as a command that canbe invoked through one or more cursor operations. Yet other embodimentsallow the user to manipulate the scroll and/or zoom control through acombination of two or more of such UI implementations or other UIimplementations.

In some embodiments, a user manipulates the scroll control 810 in orderto specify which navigation markers are displayed within the navigationtool. For instance, if a user is interested in viewing navigationmarkers toward the left of the navigation tool, the user may select aleft arrow 830 or drag an indicator bar 840 to a different position inorder to display the navigation markers toward the left of thenavigation tool. Different embodiments implement the scroll control indifferent ways. For instance, in some embodiments the scrolling iscontrolled based on cursor position (and/or keyboard input) while noscroll control UI item is displayed (e.g., the markers may scroll to theleft when the cursor is moved to the far left of the navigation tool).In some embodiments, the scrolling is performed automatically (e.g., thenavigation tool may be scrolled such that any selected marker is placedin the center of the tool).

A user may manipulate the zoom control 820 of some embodiments in orderto specify the relative size of each navigation marker compared to otherGUI elements. For instance, if a user wishes to display fewer navigationmarkers, where each marker is larger, the user may increase the zoomadjustment (e.g., by selecting an arrow of the zoom control, positioningan indicator bar, through one or more keystroke commands, etc.).Conversely, if a user wishes to see more navigation markers, where eachmarker is smaller, the user may decrease the zoom adjustment. Differentembodiments implement the zoom control in different ways. For instance,in some embodiments the zoom adjustment may be controlled based on acombination keystrokes and cursor operations (e.g., by pressing a “ctrl”key while manipulating a cursor wheel) while no zoom control UI item isdisplayed. By adjusting the scroll and/or zoom controls, a user is ableto customize the display of the navigation tool such that only a subsetof markers are displayed at any time, based on the user's preference.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that actualimplementations of various media editing applications may differ fromthe conceptual representations shown in FIGS. 6-8. For instance, aparticular implementation may include different and/or additionaldisplay areas, menus, controls, etc. than those shown in FIGS. 6-8. Inaddition, although various examples below show specific controls,selection options, etc., one of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat other specific controls, selection options, and/or other componentsmay be implemented in various different ways. For instance, althoughshown as buttons 640 in GUI 600, the operations associated with suchbuttons 640 may be associated with various other controls and/oroperations (e.g., an option of a pull-down menu, a series of keystrokes,a voice command, etc.).

B. Navigable Locations of a Composite Project

For some embodiments, FIG. 9 illustrates several potential associationsbetween selectable navigation markers of a navigation tool 710 andnavigable locations of the composite representation as shown in acomposite display area 900. Specifically, this figure shows fourpotential associations 905-920 between various selectable navigationmarkers 925-955 and different types of navigable locations of acomposite representation.

In some embodiments, a user may be able to select from among thedifferent associations between the selectable navigation markers andnavigable locations of the composite representation (e.g., by selectinga menu option, through one or more keystroke commands, etc.). In someembodiments, the selection of a particular association may be made bydefault, may be based on the type of media included in the compositeproject, may be based on information stored in the composite projectfile, etc. In addition, different embodiments provide various otherpotential associations.

In the first association 905, each navigation marker 925-955 isassociated with (e.g., linked to the location of) a media clip, such asone of media clips 960-966, that is part of the composite representationand may be displayed in the composite display area 900. In someembodiments, only a sub-set of media clips may correspond to aparticular navigation marker (i.e., the navigation markers maycorrespond to every third media clip or some other increment). Such anincrement may be based on a user selection, the number of media clips inthe composite project, a desired number of navigation markers, etc.

The selection of a navigation marker that corresponds to a media clipcauses the media clip to be displayed at a particular location of thecomposite display area 900 (e.g., at the far-left of the compositedisplay area, at a fixed offset from the far-left of the compositedisplay area, at the playhead location, etc.). In some embodiments, thenavigation tool scrolls the composite representation across compositedisplay area 900 such that the media clip is displayed at the particularlocation of the composite display area. In addition, the navigation toolof some embodiments adjusts the zoom of the composite display area suchthat a particular range of the composite representation is displayed inthe composite display area. Some embodiments automatically determinewhether to scroll and/or zoom the display, while other embodiments allowa user to select whether to scroll and/or zoom (and/or allow the user toselect under what conditions to scroll and/or zoom). Navigation will bedescribed in more detail in sub-section I.0 below.

In the second association 910, each navigation marker 925-955 isassociated with a navigable location point along the timeline, such asone of points 970-976, that may be displayed in the composite displayarea 900. Although the navigable location points are shown as evenlyspaced in this example, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat some or all of the navigable location points may be placed atirregular intervals along the timeline. Different embodiments set thelocation of each navigable location point in different ways (e.g., by auser selection, by automatically determining the location based on themedia content included in the composite project, etc.).

The selection of a navigation marker that corresponds to a navigablelocation point causes the navigable location point to be displayed at aparticular location of the composite display area. As mentioned above,the navigation tool scrolls the display of the composite display areasuch that the navigable location point is displayed at the particularlocation of the composite display area. In addition, the navigation toolmay adjust the zoom of the composite display area such that a particularrange along the timeline is displayed in the composite display area.

In the third association 915, each navigation marker 925-955 correspondsto a section of the composite representation, such as one of sections980-986, that may be displayed in the composite display area 900.Although the sections are shown as evenly spaced in this example, one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the sections may havevarious durations along the timeline. In some embodiments, the sectionboundaries may not be adjacent as shown (i.e., there may be portions ofthe composite representation that are not included in any section).Different embodiments define section boundaries in different ways (e.g.,the boundaries may be set by a user, may be generated by dividing thecomposite representation into a particular number of sections of equalduration, etc.).

The selection of a navigation marker that corresponds to a sectioncauses the selected section to be displayed at a particular location ofthe composite display area. As mentioned above, the navigation toolscrolls the display of the composite display area such that the section(or a particular point within the section) is displayed at theparticular location of the composite display area. In addition, thenavigation tool may adjust the zoom of the composite display area suchthat only the selected section is displayed in the composite displayarea. Alternatively, some embodiments adjust the zoom such that thecomposite display area includes portions of the composite representationadjacent to the selected section.

In the fourth association 920, each navigation marker 935-945corresponds to a set of media clips, such as one of sets 990-992, thatmay be displayed in the composite display area 900. For clarity, in thisexample not all navigation markers 925-955 are shown as corresponding toa set of media clips. However, one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that each navigation marker corresponds to a set of mediaclips, where some of the sets of media clips are not displayed in thecomposite display area (i.e., where some of the media clips included inthe composite representation have scrolled off the visible display ofthe composite display area).

The selection of a navigation marker that corresponds to a set of mediaclips causes the selected set of clips to be displayed at a particularlocation of the composite display area. As mentioned above, thenavigation tool scrolls the display of the composite display area suchthat the set of clips (or a particular point within the set of clips) isdisplayed at the particular location of the composite display area. Inaddition, the navigation tool may adjust the zoom of the compositedisplay area such that only the selected set of clips is displayed inthe composite display area. Alternatively, some embodiments adjust thezoom such that the composite display area includes portions of thecomposite representation adjacent to the selected set of clips.

Different embodiments define sets of media clips in different ways(e.g., the sets may be defined by a user, may be generated by dividingthe composite project into sets of media clips based on an evaluation ofcontent in the media clips, etc.). A set of media clips may include onemedia clip (such as section 990) or more than one media clip (such assection 991 or 992).

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the navigablelocations may differ from the conceptual representations shown in FIG.9. For instance, in some embodiments the navigable locations may not bearranged in the same order as the navigation markers. In addition,although various examples below may reference particular types ofnavigable locations (e.g., sections), one of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that other types of navigable locations may be used(e.g., a set of media clips). Furthermore, some embodiments may use acombination of types of navigable locations in a single navigation tool(e.g., one navigation marker may correspond to a clip while a secondmarker corresponds to a section along the timeline).

Although many examples refer to a navigation tool that provides directnavigation to various locations, different embodiments allow differenttypes of navigation. For instance, some embodiments may includehierarchical navigation where the selection of a particular navigationmarker provides a set of markers corresponding to sub-locations of theselected marker. A more detailed explanation of such hierarchicalsegmenting of media projects is provided in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/551,557, now published as U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0281381,entitled “Graphical User Interface for a Media-Editing Application Witha Segmented Timeline,” filed on Aug. 31, 2009, incorporated herein byreference.

C. Invoking and Displaying the Navigation Tool

1. Invocation Process

As described above, some embodiments provide a navigation tool fornavigating to different locations within a composite representation.FIG. 10 conceptually illustrates an example of a process 1000 that someembodiments use to invoke and display the navigation tool. Process 1000will be described by reference to FIGS. 11-13 which illustrate anexample user interface interaction.

FIG. 11 illustrates several ways of invoking the navigation tool 710 ofsome embodiments. Specifically, this figure shows the activation of thenavigation tool using various GUI items of some embodiments. FIGS. 12-13illustrate two alternative navigation tools to that shown in FIG. 11.Specifically, FIG. 12 shows a navigation tool 1210 that includes analternative set of navigation markers 1220 while FIG. 13 shows anavigation tool 1310 that includes a list of textual options 1320 thatserve as navigation markers.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate the same GUI 600 as described above in referenceto FIGS. 6-8. To illustrate the example of invoking the navigation tool,FIG. 11 describes three alternative first stages 1110-1130 and a secondstage 1140 of a user's interaction with the GUI 600.

As shown in FIG. 10, process 1000 begins when a media editingapplication that includes the navigation tool is launched. Next, theprocess receives (at 1010) a command to invoke the navigation tool. Thiscommand could be received automatically (e.g., the media editingapplication may invoke the navigation tool at start-up, when a projectis loaded, etc.). Alternatively, a user may invoke the navigation toolusing various GUI items as described below.

FIG. 11 shows a first stage 1110 that is before the user has activatedthe navigation tool. In this stage, the user selects a navigation toolbutton 1150 (e.g., by moving the cursor 690 to a location over thebutton 1150 and performing a click operation). As shown, in thisexample, activating the button has caused the button to be displayedwith a dark background. Different embodiments change the display of thebutton in different ways or not at all when a user activates the button(e.g., by showing the button with a thicker border, changing the colorof the button, etc.).

FIG. 11 further shows an alternative first stage 1120 of userinteraction that is before the user has activated the navigation tool.In this stage, the user activates a pull-down menu 1160 (e.g., byperforming a cursor click operation over the menu bar 660) and selectsan option 1165 from the menu (e.g., by moving the cursor 690 to alocation over the desired option and performing a click operation).Different embodiments present different options and/or sub-options. Inthis example, the selection is indicated by a darker background, howeverdifferent embodiments may indicate the selection in different ways.

FIG. 11 also shows another alternative first stage 1130 of userinteraction that is before the user has activated the navigation tool.In this stage, the user activates a pop-up menu 1170 (e.g., byperforming a right-cursor click operation while the cursor is positionedover the GUI 600) and selects an option 1175 from the menu (e.g., bymoving the cursor 690 to a location over the desired option andperforming a click operation). Different embodiments present differentoptions and/or sub-options. In addition, a right-click operation maypresent different pop-up menus when is performed over different areas ofthe GUI. In this example, the selection is indicated by a darkerbackground, however different embodiments indicate the selection indifferent ways.

Returning to FIG. 10, process 1000 then determines (at 1020) whethernavigation information is available for the project. In some cases, theproject file will include information regarding navigation markers(e.g., a list of thumbnail images) and the associated navigablelocations of the composite representation (e.g., a list of instancesalong a timeline). Conceptual data structures used by some embodimentswill be described in more detail in reference to FIG. 34 below. Whenprocess 1000 determines that navigation information is available, theprocess retrieves (at 1030) the navigation information for the compositeproject. Otherwise, the process generates (at 1040) navigationinformation for the composite project.

Different embodiments generate navigation information in different ways.For instance, some embodiments specify a set of equally-spaced pointsthat span the timeline of the composite representation. These points maythen form the navigable locations of the composite project, as describedabove in reference to FIG. 9. In addition, some embodimentsautomatically generate a set of navigation markers. The markers may begenerated in this example by selecting a frame of video from a mediaclip included in the composite representation at the associatednavigable location. In addition, a user may be asked to generate thenavigation information in some embodiments (e.g., the user may selectnavigation markers and associated navigable locations using GUI controlsof the media editing application).

After retrieving (at 1030) or generating (at 1040) the navigationinformation, the process displays (at 1050) the navigation tool based onthe navigation information. One example way of performing the selectionand sizing of the navigation tool elements will be described in moredetail in reference to FIG. 14 below. The display of the navigation toolis described below.

FIG. 11 shows a second stage 1140 of user interaction that is after theGUI 600 has been updated to display the navigation tool 710. The secondstage may follow any one of the first stages 1110-1130. In addition, auser may perform various other operations to invoke the navigation toolof some embodiments (e.g., a series of keystrokes, a hot key selection,etc.).

FIGS. 12-13 illustrate two other example navigation tools 1210 and 1310that may be invoked in a similar manner to those described in referenceto FIG. 11. The navigation tool 1210 shown in FIG. 12 includes severalsequentially-numbered navigation markers 1220. The navigation markers1220 may be labeled automatically (i.e., without direct userintervention), the labels may be specified by a user, or the labels maybe generated in some other way. The navigation tool 1310 shown in FIG.13 includes a list 1320 of textual navigation markers. In some suchembodiments, the textual navigation markers are labeled such that thelabels provide an indication to the user of the location of thecomposite representation that corresponds to each marker.

In the example of FIG. 11, the navigation tool 710 has been updated tohighlight the navigation marker 1180 associated with the navigablelocation shown in the composite display area 630 (as indicated by thethicker border). In some cases, no navigation marker is highlighted, asno associated navigable location has been selected. In addition, thelast-selected navigation marker is highlighted in some embodiments,without regard for the location shown in the composite display area.

Next, the process determines (at 1060) whether a cursor is positionedover the navigation tool. When the process determines that the cursor isnot positioned over the tool, the process proceeds to operation 1090,described below. Otherwise, the process adjusts (at 1070) the display ofthe tool based on the cursor position. In some embodiments, the displayadjustment includes increasing the size of one or more navigationmarkers, as described above in reference to the third stage 130 ofFIG. 1. Different embodiments adjust the display in different ways ornot at all (e.g., by changing the color of a navigation marker,displaying a navigation marker with a thicker border, displaying textwith inverted colors, etc.). In addition, different embodiments mayadjust the display based on various other criteria than cursor position(e.g., based on adjustment of scroll and/or zoom controls for thenavigation tool, based on modifications to the composite project, etc.).

After adjusting (at 1070) the display of the tool, the processdetermines (at 1080) whether a navigation marker has been selected. Theselection may be made using a cursor click operation, a menu selection,or some other appropriate way. When the process determines that anavigation marker has been selected, the process proceeds to operation1510 of process 1500, described below in reference to FIG. 15.

When the process determines (at 1080) that no navigation marker has beenselected, or after performing process 1500, the process determines (at1090) whether the navigation tool is still active. In some embodiments,a user may deactivate the navigation tool (i.e., remove the tool fromthe GUI display) using similar operations to those described inreference to FIG. 11. For instance, the navigation tool may bede-invoked by pressing the button 1150 after the tool has been invoked,by making a pull-down menu selection such as that described above inreference to stage 1120, by making a pop-up menu selection such as thatdescribed above in reference to stage 1130, a series of keystrokes, etc.Alternatively, the tool is deactivated automatically in some embodiments(e.g., when a user selects an option or tool of the media editingapplication that is incompatible with the navigation tool, when loadinga project that does not include navigation information, etc.).

When the process determines (at 1090) that the tool is still active, theprocess performs operations 1060-1090, as described above. Otherwise,the process updates (at 1095) the GUI display to remove the navigationtool and ends. One example of the media editing GUI displayed withoutthe navigation tool was described above in reference to FIG. 6.Alternatively or conjunctively to updating (at 1095) the display, someembodiments perform other operations when the tool is deactivated. Forinstance, in some embodiments the functionality provided by the tool maybe deactivated without updating the GUI display at all.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 1000 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, in some embodiments, the process retrievesnavigation information (if available) before receiving a command toinvoke the navigation tool. Furthermore, different specific operationsmay be performed in different embodiments. For instance, someembodiments receive an interrupt signal that triggers some responsiveaction rather than determining whether a user has selected a particularoption. Also, the process may not be performed as one continuous seriesof operations. In addition, the process could be implemented usingseveral sub-processes, or as part of a larger macro-process.

Although various specific examples of navigation tools have beenprovided, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that differentembodiments may use different navigation tools without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. For instance, in some embodiments thenavigation tool presents differently-colored navigation markers. Asanother example, some embodiments display navigation markers usingdifferent shapes than those described above. In addition, someembodiments of the navigation tool operate without any visiblenavigation markers and/or controls. For instance, some embodiments mayprovide a voice-controlled navigator where certain words or phrases areused to select among navigable locations (e.g., “navigate to intro”,“select scene 1”, etc.). As another example, some embodiments provide akeyboard-controlled navigator where different combinations of physicalkeystrokes are used to select among navigable locations.

2. Generating the Navigation Tool Display

As described above, in some embodiments the navigation tool providesnavigation markers from which a user can infer a corresponding locationin the composite representation. In some of these embodiments, thenavigation markers are thumbnail images of the media clips included inthe composite project. FIG. 14 conceptually illustrates an example of aprocess 1400 used to select and size the images used as navigationmarkers by some embodiments. Process 1400 will be described by referenceto FIG. 8 which illustrates an example navigation tool 710 andassociated scroll and zoom controls 810-820.

In some embodiments, process 1400 begins when a navigation tool such astool 710 is activated. Alternatively, process 1400 may be performedduring the activation (e.g., as part or all of operation 1050 of process1000) or operation of the navigation tool in some embodiments. As shown,the process determines (at 1410) whether images are available for use asnavigation markers (e.g., by determining whether thumbnails have beenassociated with the navigable locations of the project within theproject file).

When the process determines (at 1410) that no images are available, theprocess continues to operation 1430 described below, otherwise, process1400 retrieves (at 1420) a previously stored set of images for use asnavigation markers in the navigation tool. In some embodiments, theretrieved images are representative frames from the various media clipsin a composite project as in the example navigation tool 710 describedabove in reference to FIG. 7. The retrieved images could also be othertypes of media items, such as bitmaps used to form GUI items similar tothe GUI items 1220 used in example navigation tool 1210 described abovein reference to FIG. 12.

When the process determines (at 1410) that no images are available, theprocess generates (at 1430) images for use as navigation markers.Different techniques can be used to generate the thumbnail images indifferent embodiments. For instance, when generating a thumbnail imagefor a particular video clip or set of video clips, some embodimentsinitially identify a representative video frame for the clip or set ofclips, and then generate a thumbnail image from the identified frame.Different embodiments identify the representative video frame for a clipor set of clips differently.

For example, some embodiments identify the frame based on one or more ofa user selection, a location within the clip, an analysis of the clip,etc. For instance, some embodiments select the first frame of a clip,while other embodiments select the first frame unless the frame does notmeet some criteria (e.g., a brightness threshold, a color saturationthreshold, etc.). Some embodiments analyze a clip to determine a framethat is most representative of the clip as a whole (e.g., by usingpattern recognition or some other appropriate algorithm to identify arepresentative frame).

In some embodiments, a particular navigable location may not beassociated with any clips (e.g., when the location is a point along thetimeline, and there are no clips at that point). In such cases, a framemay be selected from a nearby clip (e.g., a frame from the clip closestto the particular navigable location). Alternatively, an image may beselected or generated from a different source than a clip (e.g., abitmap used by the navigation tool to indicate an open location, a blankimage, etc.).

Next, the process identifies (at 1440) the dimensions of the navigationtool. Some embodiments require all of the images in the navigation toolto be displayed concurrently within a fixed area. Accordingly, theprocess identifies the dimension of the fixed area in which thenavigation tool is to be displayed. The area is determined in someembodiments by the media editing application that uses the navigationtool. For instance, in a particular media editing application, thenavigation tool might take up only a small portion of the display areafor the application, whereas in a video playing application thenavigation tool might take up the entire width of the display of theapplication. Some embodiments allow a user to control the size of thenavigation tool. For instance, in some embodiments the navigation toolis provided in a sizable window or pane that a user can manipulate tosize the tool as desired (e.g., by selecting and dragging a corner ofthe pane using a cursor).

Once the dimensions of the navigation tool are identified, the processdetermines (at 1450) the size of each marker in the navigation tool. Insome embodiments, the navigation tool includes a horizontal arrangementof all images in the set of images. Some embodiments arrange the imagesin the order of the navigable locations to which they correspond, suchthat the image for the first navigable location in the compositerepresentation is at the left end of the navigation tool and the imagefor the last navigable location in the composite representation is atthe right end of the navigation tool. In such embodiments, the width foreach image W₁ is the total width W available for the navigation tooldivided by the total number of images N, such that W₁=W/N. The height ofeach image may be the same as the available height for the navigationtool.

Alternatively, some embodiments arrange the images vertically. Someembodiments arrange the images in the order of the navigable locationsto which they correspond, such that the image for the first navigablelocation in the composite representation is at the top of the navigationtool and the image for the last navigable location in the compositerepresentation is at the bottom of the navigation tool. In theseembodiments, the height for each image is the total height available forthe navigation tool divided by the total number of images and the widthof each image is the same as the available width for the navigationtool.

Other embodiments arrange the images differently. For instance, theimages could be arranged in two dimension (e.g., in a square). Or theimages could be arranged primarily horizontally, but in two rows stackedon top of each other. Furthermore, some embodiments determine adifferent size for each image in the navigation tool (e.g., based on thelength of the media clip corresponding to the image).

In some embodiments, the elements of the navigation tool (e.g., thenavigation markers) are automatically resized when the tool is resized.In some embodiments, a user may select various controls such as scrolland zoom controls 810 and 820 described above in reference to FIG. 8 inorder to adjust the number of navigation markers displayed and/or selecta particular sub-set of navigation markers for display. By using suchcontrols, a user may affect the size and/or appearance of navigationmarkers (and/or other elements of the navigation tool) withoutnecessarily affecting the size of the navigation tool itself. Someembodiments automatically resize the navigation tool based on the usersettings (e.g., the height of the tool may be increased such that anentire thumbnail may be displayed at a particular zoom setting).

The navigation tool of some embodiments also includes a feature that canbe moved along the tool's navigation markers in order to highlightand/or to enlarge the navigation markers for selection. In some of theseembodiments, the enlarged navigation markers may be sized relative tothe other navigation markers (e.g., such that the enlarged markers arealways 25% larger than the other markers) and/or the navigation tool(e.g., by sizing the largest highlighted marker such that the markercompletely fills the height of the navigation tool).

After the size for each image is determined (at 1450), process 1400compresses (at 1460) the images to the determined size or sizes. Whenscaling an image by large scale factors (e.g., 10× or more), asignificant amount of visual data may be lost. To scale the images, someembodiments use standard scaling/compression mechanisms that areregularly used for image editing. Next, the process displays (at 1470)the navigation tool. FIG. 7 illustrates one example of such a displayednavigation tool 710.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 1400 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, operations 1440-1470 may be repeatedlyperformed in response to scroll and zoom adjustments.

Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed in differentembodiments. Also, the process may not be performed as one continuousseries of operations. In addition, the process could be implementedusing several sub-processes, or as part of a larger macro-process.

D. Navigating with the Navigation Tool

As described above, in some embodiments the navigation tool allows auser to navigate to different locations within a compositerepresentation. FIG. 15 conceptually illustrates an example of a process1500 that some embodiments use to navigate to a particular location in acomposite representation. Process 1500 will be described by reference toFIG. 16 which illustrates an example user interface interaction.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of using the navigation tool 710 of someembodiments to navigate to a particular location in a compositerepresentation. FIG. 16 illustrates the same GUI 600 as described abovein reference to FIGS. 6-8 and 11-13. In this example, a user navigatesfrom one location in a composite representation to another location byusing a cursor to select a navigation marker provided by the navigationtool of some embodiments. The example of FIG. 16 illustrates a zoomadjustment to the composite display area in addition to the scrollingdescribed above in reference to FIG. 1. To illustrate the example ofnavigating from one location to another and adjusting the zoom of thecomposite display area using the navigation tool, FIG. 16 describes fourdifferent stages 1610-1640 of a user's interaction with the GUI 600.

FIG. 16 shows a first stage 1610 that is before the user has selected anavigation marker. In this stage, the composite display area 630displays a location of the composite representation that is associatedwith previously-selected navigation marker 1650. As above, the selectionof navigation marker 1650 has caused a change in the graphicalrepresentation of the selected navigation marker relative to the othernavigation markers. Although the navigation marker 1650 is indicated ashaving been previously selected, in some cases the location of thecomposite representation shown in the composite display area may notnecessarily correspond to the selected marker (e.g., when the user hasmanually navigated to a different location of the compositerepresentation).

Returning to FIG. 15, process 1500 begins when a navigation marker isselected. For instance, the navigation marker may be selected asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 1. In different embodiments,different actions, events, and/or other triggers may cause process 1500to be performed. For instance, in some embodiments, the process isperformed in response to a selection of a back or forward button asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 16 further shows a second stage 1620 of user interaction that isafter the user has positioned the cursor 690 over a particularnavigation marker 1660 of the navigation tool 710. As shown, in thisexample, positioning the cursor over the particular navigation markerhas caused a highlighting feature to display the particular navigationmarker and several adjacent markers at a larger size than othernavigation markers. Different embodiments may change the display of anavigation marker in different ways or not at all as the navigationmarker becomes a candidate for selection by a user (e.g., when a userpositions the cursor over the navigation marker). In this stage, theuser selects the particular navigation marker 1660 in order to initiatethe navigation. The user makes this selection by positioning the cursor690 over the navigation marker 1660 and performing a click operation.

Returning to FIG. 15, process 1500 next retrieves (at 1510) locationinformation corresponding to the selected navigation marker. As above,in some embodiments an alternative control (e.g., a back or forwardbutton) initiates process 1500. In these cases, the process retrievesinformation corresponding to the option selected using the alternativecontrol. The location information may include references to instancesalong a timeline of the composite representation, references to sectionsof the composite project, etc. Various examples of navigable locationswere described above in reference to FIG. 9. In addition, variousconceptual data structures that may be used to store the locationinformation in some embodiments are described below in reference to FIG.34.

After retrieving (at 1510) the location information, the process scrolls(at 1520) the composite display area to the navigable locationassociated with the selected navigation marker. Such scrolling may beperformed in a similar manner to that described above in reference tothe third stage 130 of FIG. 1.

The process then determines (at 1530) whether adjusting the zoom of thecomposite display area is necessary. In some embodiments, zoomadjustment may be performed based on various criteria (e.g., userpreference, default selection, type of navigable location, etc.). Whenthe process determines (at 1530) that adjusting the zoom is notnecessary, the process continues to operation 1550, which is describedbelow. Otherwise, the process adjusts (at 1540) the zoom of thecomposite display area to the appropriate viewing range. The appropriateviewing range may be based on the location information, as describedabove in reference to FIG. 9, or may be based on user preference,evaluation of the content at that location, or some other appropriatecriteria. In addition to adjusting the scroll and/or zoom, someembodiments adjust the placement of the playhead when necessary. Onesuch example of a scroll and zoom adjustment and placement of theplayhead after selection of a navigation marker will be described below.

FIG. 16 shows a third stage 1630 of user interaction that is after theuser has selected the particular navigation marker 1660. In this stage,the composite display area 630 is updated to present the navigablelocation 1670 associated with the particular navigation marker. Thenavigable location is highlighted by a bounding box. This bounding boxis not displayed by the media editing application but rather ispresented in FIG. 16 in order to identify the selected location in thisfigure. As shown, in this example the composite display area is scrolledfrom right to left as the display is updated. In addition, the zoom ofthe composite display area is adjusted such that the selected navigablelocation 1670 is enlarged to fill the entire composite display area. Thethird stage 1630 illustrates two arrows 1672 and 1674 to indicate thatthe scrolling and zooming is in midstream (i.e., it is before thecomposite display area has been fully updated to reflect the selectedlocation). In this example, arrow 1672 is longer than arrow 1674, inorder to indicate that the selected location is scrolled to the left aswell as zoomed.

Some embodiments adjust the zoom such that the selected navigablelocation does not fill the entire composite display area (i.e., the zoomis adjusted such that the composite display area presents the selectednavigable location and some portion of the composite representationadjacent to the selected navigable location area). In this manner, auser is able to view the selected navigable location in context withinthe composite representation.

Lastly, FIG. 16 shows a fourth stage 1640 of user interaction that isafter the composite display area has been fully updated to present thenavigable location 1670 associated with the particular navigation marker1660. In addition, the navigation tool 710 has been updated to reflectthe selection of the particular navigation marker 1660 (as indicated bythe thicker border). As described above in reference to FIG. 9, thenavigable location 1670 may be a clip, a point within the compositerepresentation, a section of the timeline, a set of media clips, or someother appropriate navigable location of the composite representation.

In the example of FIG. 16, the playhead 680 has moved relative to thecomposite display area 630, however, as mentioned above, differentembodiments may position the playhead at different locations or indifferent ways in response to the selection of a navigation marker. Forinstance, in some embodiments the playhead is automatically placed at acertain location in the composite display area (e.g., at the far left ofthe composite display area, at a particular offset from the far left ofthe composite display area, etc.). In other embodiments, the playhead isrestored to a same location as the previous time that a user accessedthe location corresponding to the selected navigation marker. In thismanner, a user may navigate away from a particular location afterpositioning the playhead (e.g., by viewing a preview of the compositepresentation) and then return to the particular location with theplayhead at the same position. In still other embodiments, the playheadlocation is not affected by the selection of a navigation marker (i.e.,the playhead remains at the same point within the compositerepresentation as before the navigation marker was selected).

After adjusting (at 1540) the zoom of the composite display area, ordetermining (at 1530) that adjusting the zoom is not necessary, theprocess updates (at 1550) the display of the preview display area. Someembodiments automatically update the preview display area to reflect thecontent at the current location (e.g., the playhead location) of thecomposite representation. In different embodiments, the preview displayarea may be updated under different circumstances (e.g., when a newnavigable location is selected, when the playhead position changes dueto a navigation operation, etc.).

Next, the process displays (at 1560) an updated navigation tool toreflect the currently-selected location. The navigation tool may beupdated as described above in reference to stage 1640 of FIG. 16. Afterupdating (at 1560) the display, the process ends. In some embodiments,when process 1500 is performed as a sub-process of process 1000, afterprocess 1500 ends, operation 1090 of process 1000 is performed asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 10.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 1500 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, in some embodiments, the zoom of thecomposite display area may be adjusted before the composite display areais scrolled to the selected location. In addition, the process used tonavigate to a location in the composite representation may not beinvoked when a navigation control is selected. Instead, the process maybegin when, for example, the navigation tool is invoked, as describedabove in reference to FIG. 7. Furthermore, different specific operationsmay be performed in different embodiments. Also, the process may not beperformed as one continuous series of operations. In addition, theprocess could be implemented using several sub-processes, or as part ofa larger macro-process. For example, in some embodiments, process 1500is performed as a sub-process of process 1000.

As described above in reference to FIG. 2, in some embodiments thenavigation tool provides selectable controls that allow a user tonavigate to different previously-selected locations within a compositerepresentation. FIG. 17 conceptually illustrates an example of a process1700 used by some embodiments to navigate to a previously-selectedlocation in a composite representation. Process 1700 will be describedby reference to FIG. 18 which illustrates an example user interfaceinteraction.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of using the navigation tool 710 of someembodiments to navigate to a previously-selected location in a compositerepresentation. FIG. 18 illustrates the same GUI 600 as described abovein reference to FIGS. 6-8, 11-13, and 16. In this example, a usernavigates from one location in a composite representation to anotherlocation by using a cursor to activate the navigation control providedby the navigation tool of some embodiments. In contrast to the exampleof FIG. 2, which used a “back” selection to trigger the control, theexample of FIG. 18 uses a “forward” selection. To illustrate the exampleof navigating to a previously-selected location using the navigationtool, FIG. 18 describes four different stages 1810-1840 of a user'sinteraction with the GUI 600.

Returning to FIG. 17, in some embodiments, process 1700 begins when thenavigation tool is activated. Other embodiments may initiate the processbased on a menu selection, series of keystrokes, or some otherappropriate criteria.

Next, the process receives (at 1710) a command to activate a navigationcontrol. In some embodiments, such a navigation control may include aback button, a forward button, and/or other types of controls fornavigating to previously-selected locations (e.g., a “home” button forcausing the entire composite representation to be displayed in thecomposite display area). One example of such a navigation control andits activation is described below.

FIG. 18 shows a first stage 1810 that is before the user has activated anavigation control 1850. In this example, the navigation control 1850includes (1) a backward arrow that allows a user to select previouslyselected navigation markers that were selected before a currentlyselected navigation location, and (2) a forward arrow that allows a userto select previously selected navigation markers that were selectedafter a currently selected navigation location. In some embodiments, alist of back and forward options is compiled based onpreviously-selected locations relative to the currently-selectedlocations.

In this stage, the composite display area 630 displays a location of thecomposite representation that is associated with previously-selectednavigation marker 1860. As above, the selection of navigation marker hascaused a change in the graphical representation of the selectednavigation marker relative to the other navigation markers.

FIG. 18 further shows a second stage 1820 of user interaction that isafter the user has moved the cursor 690 to a location over thenavigation control 1850. In this stage, the user activates thenavigation control forward button 1865 in order to initiate thenavigation. The user may make this selection by, for example, performinga click operation when the cursor is over the navigation control. Asshown, in this example, activating the navigation control has caused thecontrol to be displayed with a darker background. Different embodimentschange the display of the navigation control in different ways or not atall when a user activates the control (e.g., by showing the navigationcontrol with a thicker border, changing the color of the navigationcontrol, etc.).

Returning to FIG. 17, after receiving (at 1710) the command to activatethe navigation control, the process generates (at 1720) a list ofpreviously-accessed locations. The list may be generated by accessingdata stored by the media editing application to retrieve a user'snavigation history. Different embodiments may use different navigationhistories. For instance, in some embodiments, the navigation history isbased on the current media editing session (i.e., the history since theuser has opened a composite project using the media editingapplication). In other embodiments, the navigation history is also basedon one or more previous editing sessions. In some embodiments, thenavigation history is retrieved by examining data structures used by themedia editing application. Such data structures will be described inmore detail in reference to FIG. 34 below.

In some embodiments, the list of previously-accessed locations isgenerated based on a relative hierarchy of previously-accessedlocations. In addition, the list may depend on the navigation controlactivated at 1710 (e.g., whether the control was a back or forwardbutton). As an example, a user may navigate to locations “A”, “B”, “C”,and “D”, in that order. If the user then activated a back button, thelist of locations would include C, B, and A, in that order. In contrast,if the user had activated a forward button from location D, the listwould be empty as D was the final location to which the user hadnavigated.

Continuing the above example, the user may elect to navigate back fromlocation D to B. If the user then activated a back button, the list ofoptions would include D and A, in that order. Alternatively, if the userhad activated a forward button, the list of options would include C andD. Different embodiments may define such hierarchies in different ways.For instance, in the above example, the user did not navigate from B toD directly, however, D was presented as a forward option from B becauseof the path from B to C to D.

In some embodiments, only direct navigation paths may be presented asoptions. Thus, in the above example, a user may only be presented withlocation C as a forward option from location B. Location D would then bepresented as a forward option from location C. The previously-accessedlocations that are presented may depend on various criteria (e.g., auser selection, default selection, etc.).

After generating (at 1720) the list of previously-accessed locations,the process displays (at 1730) the list. Next, the process receives (at1740) a selection from the list. The list may be displayed and theselection may be received in a similar way to that described below.

FIG. 18 shows a third stage 1830 of user interaction that is after theuser has activated the forward button 1865 causing a pop-up menu 1870 tobe displayed. In this stage, a user selects an option from the menu1870. The pop-up menu includes several navigation options associatedwith several previously-selected locations. Different embodiments maypresent different numbers of options. In some embodiments, a particularnumber of options is presented to a user, while in other embodiments allpreviously-selected locations may be presented as options. In someembodiments, the previously-selected location that was selected whendisplaying the current location is displayed at the top of the pop-upmenu. Alternatively, in some embodiments no pop-up menu is displayed(e.g., when there is only one navigation option, based on a userelection, etc.). In cases where no pop-up menu is displayed, the lastpreviously-selected location may be selected based only on theactivation of the forward button 1865.

In this example, as indicated by the darker background, the user selectsthe “previous 1” option 1875 by performing a cursor click operation whenthe cursor is positioned over the desired option. In cases where nopop-up menu is displayed, the last previously-selected location may beselected based on the activation of the forward button 1865.

Returning to FIG. 17, process 1700 then updates (at 1750) the display ofthe GUI based on the selection. After updating the display, the processends. One example display update is described below.

Lastly, FIG. 18 shows a fourth stage 1840 of user interaction that isafter the composite display area has been updated to present thenavigable location 1880 associated with the selected option 1875. Theupdate of the composite display area may be performed in a similarmanner to that described above in reference to stage 1630 of FIG. 16. Asshown in FIG. 18, in this example the navigation tool 710 has beenupdated to indicate the navigation marker 1890 associated with thenavigable location 1880 (as indicated by the thicker border). Asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 9, the navigable location 1880 maybe a clip, a point within the composite representation, a section of thetimeline, a set of media clips, or some other appropriate navigablelocation of the composite representation. In the example of FIG. 18, theplayhead 680 has moved relative to the composite display area 630,however, as described above in reference to FIG. 16, differentembodiments may position the playhead at different locations or indifferent ways in response to the selection of a navigation marker.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 1700 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, in some embodiments, the list ofpreviously-accessed locations may be compiled as the locations areselected, before a command is received to activate the navigationcontrol. Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed indifferent embodiments. For instance, operations 1730 and 1740 may not beperformed when the list of previously-accessed locations includes onlyone location. Also, the process may not be performed as one continuousseries of operations. In addition, the process could be implementedusing several sub-processes, or as part of a larger macro-process. Forexample, in some embodiments, process 1700 may be performed as asub-process of a process similar to process 1500. As another example, insome embodiments, a process similar to process 1500 may be executed byprocess 1700 to update (at 1750) the display based on the selection.

Although several examples above and below describe particularoperations, features, etc., one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that different embodiments may perform different operations,present different features, or otherwise differ from the examples given.For instance, although many operations are described as being performedusing a cursor, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthese operations could also be performed using a set of keystrokes,making one or more pop-up or pull-down menu selections, or various otherways (e.g., a combination of cursor movement and keystrokes, activationof a hotkey, etc.).

In addition, although the examples above and below may show variousspecific changes in display appearance of different GUI elements, one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that different embodiments maychange the display in different ways. For instance, while many examplesshows a selected item as having a thicker border than other,non-selected items, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatselected items could be indicated in various other ways (e.g., changesin background, changes in color saturation, changes in contrast, etc.).Furthermore, although various examples above and below show variouscombinations of media clips, different embodiments may include variousdifferent media items than those shown (e.g., digital pictures, specialeffects, overlay text, etc.).

II. Quick-Access Media Clip Insertion

As described above in reference to FIG. 3, in some embodiments thenavigation tool allows a user to navigate to a particular location in aproject in order to insert a media clip near that location. FIG. 19conceptually illustrates an example of a process 1900 used by someembodiments use to add media clips to a composite presentation inconjunction with the navigation tool. Process 1900 will be described byreference to FIGS. 20-21 which illustrate an example user interfaceinteraction.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example of using the navigation tool 710 of someembodiments to navigate to a particular location in a composite projectin order to add content to the presentation at or near the particularlocation. In this example, a user navigates from one location in acomposite representation to another location by using a cursor to selecta media clip for addition to the composite representation and draggingthe media clip to a location over a navigation marker provided by thenavigation tool of some embodiments. FIG. 20 illustrates the same GUI600 as described above in reference to FIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, and 18. Toillustrate the example of navigating to a particular location using thenavigation tool in this manner, FIG. 20 describes four different stages2010-2040 of a user's interaction with the GUI 600.

Returning to FIG. 19, process 1900 begins when a user selects a mediaclip from the media library and drags the clip to a location over aparticular navigation marker of the navigation tool. The user mayperform these operations in a similar manner to that described below.

FIG. 20 shows a first stage 2010 that is before the user has selectedthe content to add. In this stage, the composite display area 630displays a location of the composite representation that is associatedwith previously-selected navigation marker 1650.

FIG. 20 further shows a second stage 2020 of user interaction that isafter the user has selected a media clip 2050 from the media library 620by moving the cursor 690 to a location over the clip and performing aclick operation. In addition, the user has moved the clip to a locationover a particular navigation marker 2060 of the navigation tool 710using the cursor 690. As shown, this action has caused the particularnavigation marker 2060 to be enlarged and highlighted in order toindicate that the marker has been selected. In this stage 2020, the userholds the clip 2050 at a location over the particular navigation marker2060 in order to initiate the navigation. Different embodiments initiatethe navigation in different ways (e.g., by selecting a media clip andperforming one or more keystroke commands to navigate to the desiredlocation, by selecting a clip and dragging the clip over a back orforward control, etc.).

Process 1900 then scrolls and/or zooms (at 1910) to the navigablelocation corresponding to the particular navigation marker. The scrolland zoom may be performed as described below.

FIG. 20 also shows a third stage 2030 of user interaction that is afterthe user has initiated the navigation to the location associated withthe particular navigation marker 2060. In this stage, the compositedisplay area 630 is updated to present the navigable location associatedwith the particular navigation marker. The third stage 2030 illustratesan arrow 2070 to indicate that the scrolling is in midstream.

Lastly, FIG. 20 shows a fourth stage 2040 of user interaction that isafter the composite display area has been updated to present thenavigable location 2080 associated with the particular navigation marker2060. In addition, the navigation tool 710 has been updated to reflectthe selection of the particular navigation marker 2060 (as indicated bythe thicker border). The example of FIG. 20 is continued in FIG. 21below.

Process 1900 then determines (at 1920) whether the clip has beenreleased over the particular navigation marker. When the processdetermines that the clip has been released, the process places (at 1930)the clip at a particular insertion point. Otherwise, the processcontinues to operation 1940, described below. In some embodiments, theinsertion point may be based on the location of the playhead or at theend of the section of the composite representation displayed in thecomposite display area. Different embodiments may use differentinsertion points. For instance, some embodiments may set the insertionpoint at the beginning of the section of the composite representationdisplayed in the composite display area. As another example, someembodiments may set the insertion point based on a marker or otherindication placed by the user. After placing (at 1930) the clip at theinsertion point, the process ends. Such placement by releasing the clipover a navigation marker is described below.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example of adding content to a compositepresentation after using the navigation tool 710 of some embodiments tonavigate to a particular location in the composite project. In thisexample, after a user has navigated from one location in a compositerepresentation to another location as in the example of FIG. 20, theuser releases the content over the particular navigation marker 2060.FIG. 21 illustrates the same GUI 600 as described above in reference toFIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, and 20. The example of FIG. 21 continues theexample of FIG. 20 and describes an alternative way to add media contentthan that described above in reference to FIG. 3. To illustrate theexample of adding content to a composite presentation after using thenavigation tool to navigate to a desired location, FIG. 21 describesthree different stages 2110-2130 of a user's interaction with the GUI600.

FIG. 21 shows a first stage 2110 that follows stage 2040 described abovein reference to FIG. 20. In this stage 2110, the user releases theselected media clip 2050 at a location over the particular navigationmarker 2060 of the navigation tool 710. In this example, the release isindicated by removing the clip representation of media clip 2050 fromthe display over the navigation marker 2060.

FIG. 21 also shows a second stage 2120 of user interaction that is afterthe user has released the selected media clip 2050 at a location overthe particular navigation marker 2060. In this stage, the navigationtool 710 is updated to reflect that the cursor has moved to a locationaway from the navigation tool. In addition, the clip 2050 has beenplaced at the location 2140 of the playhead. Different embodiments placethe clip at different locations. For instance, instead of placing theclip at the playhead location, some embodiments place the clip atanother reference point (e.g., an insertion point previously set by theuser, a location at the beginning of the section displayed in thecomposite display area, etc.).

In this example, the clip has been placed in a particular track 2145.Different embodiments may specify such a track in different ways. Forinstance, in some embodiments a user may select a particular trackbefore selecting the clip to add to the project. As another example, insome embodiments a track is automatically selected (i.e., withoutintervention from the user) in various ways (e.g., by selecting a trackthat is not occupied at the playhead location, by adding a new trackthat includes no other clips, etc.). In some cases, the insertion of aclip affects other clips that were previously included in the compositerepresentation. For instance, in cases where the inserted clip overlapsan existing clip in a track, the existing clip may be moved or trimmedsuch that there is no overlap.

Lastly, FIG. 21 shows an alternative second stage 2130 of userinteraction that is after the user has released the clip 2050 at alocation over the particular navigation marker 2060 in the first stage2110. In the alternative second stage 2130, the navigation tool 710 isupdated to reflect that the cursor has moved to a location away from thenavigation tool. In addition, the clip 2050 has been placed at alocation 2150 at the end of the section of the composite representationdisplayed in the composite display area. Some embodiments place the clipat such a location when no other location has been specified (e.g., whenthe playhead is not visible in the composite display area, when noinsertion point has been previously selected by the user, etc.).

Different embodiments may determine the location at the end of thesection in different ways. For instance, some embodiments add the clipat a location that is after the end of any other clip in the section. Asanother example, some embodiments add the clip at a location such thatthe entire clip is included in the section, such as when the navigablelocation includes a begin point and an end point. As yet anotherexample, some embodiments add the clip at a location such that theentire clip is visible in the composite display area.

In different embodiments, the determination of whether to add the clipat the playhead location or a location at the end of the section (orelsewhere) is based on different criteria. For instance, in someembodiments a user may be prompted to select an option for placement(e.g., through a pop-up menu) after releasing the clip at a locationover a navigation marker. As another example, in some embodiments a usermay perform a series of keystrokes to specify where the clip will beinserted. As still another example, in some embodiments a defaultselection may be made based on the position of the playhead, the lengthof the clip, the area displayed in the composite display area, availabletrack space, and/or other factors.

Returning to FIG. 19, when the process determines (at 1920) that theclip has not been released over the navigation marker, the process thendetermines (at 1940) whether the clip was released over the compositedisplay area. When the process determines that the clip was releasedover the composite display area, the process places (at 1950) the clipat the selected position in the composite display area. Otherwise, orafter placing the clip at the selected position in the composite displayarea, the process ends. In some embodiments, the clip may be placed atthe selected position in the composite display area as described abovein reference to FIG. 3. When the clip is released at a location of theGUI that is not over the navigation marker or the composite display area(e.g., over a media library pane), no action is taken by process 1900.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 1900 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, in some embodiments, the process maydetermine whether a clip was released over the composite display areabefore determining whether the clip was released over a navigationmarker. As another example, in some cases a user may move the selectedclip over different navigation markers without releasing the clip, thuscausing operation 1910 to be repeated several times before proceeding.Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed in differentembodiments. For instance, some embodiments update the image shown inthe preview display area to reflect the content of the clip added to thecomposite display area. Also, the process may not be performed as onecontinuous series of operations. In addition, the process could beimplemented using several sub-processes, or as part of a largermacro-process.

Although using the navigation tool to add media at particular locationsof the composite project has been described with reference to certaindetails, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that differentembodiments may achieve the same result in different ways. For instance,in some embodiments a user may select a particular navigation marker andthen perform a cursor click operation over a clip in the media libraryto cause the clip to be inserted at the playhead location, or at alocation at the end of the section of the composite representationdisplayed in the composite display area.

III. Version Management Feature

Some embodiments provide a version management feature that allows a userto manage versions of different sections of a project. In someembodiments, version management is provided in conjunction with thenavigation tool. Other embodiments may employ the version managementfeature without employing the navigation tool, or without employing theversion management feature in conjunction with the navigation tool.Sub-section III.A describes the display of available versions using theversion management feature in conjunction with the navigation tool insome embodiments. Next, sub-section III.B describes the use of theversion management feature to access the available versions. Sub-sectionIII.C then describes the creation of new versions, the deletion ofexisting versions, and the management of temporary versions. Lastly,sub-section III.D describes using the version management feature tocontrol collaboration among users.

A. Display of Available Versions

As described above in reference to FIG. 4, in some embodiments theversion management feature allows a user to view available versions ofproject locations. FIG. 22 conceptually illustrates an example of aprocess 2200 some embodiments use to invoke the version managementfeature. Process 2200 will be described by reference to FIGS. 23-25which illustrate several examples of version management features.

The process begins when a media editing application that includes thenavigation tool is launched. Next, the process receives (at 2210) acommand to invoke the version management feature. This command could bereceived automatically (e.g., the media editing application may invokethe version management feature at start-up, when a project is loaded,etc.). Alternatively, a user may invoke the navigation tool using, forexample, a GUI button, a menu selection, etc.

Process 2200 then determines (at 2220) whether version information isavailable for the project. In some cases, the project will includeinformation regarding versions (e.g., a list of thumbnail images, namesof versions, etc.) and the navigable location associated with eachversion, if any. Conceptual data structures used by some embodimentswill be described in more detail in reference to FIG. 34 below. Whenprocess 2200 determines that version information is available, theprocess retrieves (at 2240) the version information for the project.Otherwise, the process proceeds to operation 2260, described below.After retrieving (at 2240) the version information, the process displays(at 2250) the version management feature based on the versioninformation. The displayed version management feature may be similar tothose described below in reference to FIGS. 23-25. After displaying theversion management feature, the process ends.

When process 2200 determines (at 2220) that version information is notavailable for the project, the process retrieves (at 2260) locationinformation for the project, if available. In some embodiments, thislocation information would have been previously retrieved (e.g., inorder to invoke the navigation tool). When the location information isnot available, some embodiments generate the information as describedabove in reference to operation 1040 of process 1000.

After retrieving or generating the location information, the processdisplays (at 2270) a version management feature based on the locationinformation (i.e., an initial version is generated for each location).The displayed version management feature may be similar to the examplesdescribed below in reference to FIGS. 23-25. In cases where the versionmanagement feature is generated from a set of images, some embodimentsuse a process similar to 1400 described in reference to FIG. 14 above togenerate the version management feature. After displaying the versionmanagement feature, the process ends.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example GUI 600 of a media editing application ofsome embodiments. Specifically, this figure shows a GUI that includes aversion management feature provided in conjunction with navigation tool710. The GUI 600 is the same GUI described above in reference to FIGS.6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, and 20-21. As shown, in addition to the elementsdescribed above in reference to FIG. 7, the GUI 600 of FIG. 23 includesthe version management feature for managing versions of differentlocations of the composite project.

As described above in reference to FIG. 9, such a location may be aclip, a point within the composite representation, a section of thetimeline, a set of media clips, or some other appropriate location ofthe composite representation. Thus, each version may correspond to aparticular clip, point within the composite representation, section ofthe timeline, set of media clips, or other type of navigable location.In addition, multiple different versions may be associated with a singlenavigable location. For instance, a version of a navigable location mayinclude the same underlying content as another version of that locationbut with different parameters or properties (e.g., clip start time, clipend time, etc.). Furthermore, the use of the version management featureneed not necessarily be associated with any navigable location. Forinstance, versions could refer to audio and/or video settings that areapplied across several navigable locations and/or portions of navigablelocations. As another example, versions could refer to clips or sets ofclips that are not associated with any navigable locations (e.g., when amedia editing application does not include a navigation tool).

In the example of FIG. 23, the version management feature includesvarious version tags 2310 associated with each of the navigation markers720 in order to provide version information to a user regarding thenavigable locations associated with the markers. In some embodiments,the labels are displayed when a user activates the labels (e.g., byselecting a menu option, performing one or more keystroke commands,performing a cursor control operation, etc.). Different embodimentsdisplay the labels in different ways (e.g., as text over the navigationmarkers, as a list, etc.) or not display the labels at all. In someembodiments, although the labels may not be displayed as shown, eachnavigation marker nonetheless corresponds to a particular version.

FIG. 24 illustrates another example GUI 600 of a media editingapplication of some embodiments. Specifically, this figure shows a GUIthat includes a navigation tool 2410 with another version managementfeature of some embodiments. The GUI 600 is the same GUI described abovein reference to FIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, and 23. As shown, theGUI in this example includes a navigation tool 2410 with versionmanagement. In addition to the features described above, the GUIincludes version indicators 2420 associated with some of the navigationmarkers 720, location boundary indicators 2430-2440, and buffer areas2450-2460.

As in the example of FIG. 4, the version indicators 2420 of someembodiments provide a visual indication that the location of thecomposite project corresponding to the associated navigation markerincludes multiple available versions. In addition, some embodiments mayuse the version indicators 2420 to show that the location of thecomposite project corresponding to the associated navigation marker hasbeen modified since the last version was saved. For instance, in somecases, the version indicators that correspond to locations modifiedsince the last version save may be displayed using a first color whilethe version indicators that correspond to locations that includemultiple available versions may be displayed using a second color.Different embodiments differentiate the version indicators in differentways (e.g., by using different shapes, by using different shapes for theversion indicators, etc.).

The location boundary indicators 2430-2440 delineate a sub-area 2470 ofthe composite display area that corresponds to the location associatedwith the selected navigation marker 2480. The buffer areas 2450-2460display media outside the selected navigable location in order to allowa user to view the selected location in context. Different embodimentsdisplay the boundary indicators 2430-2440 or buffer areas 2450-2460 indifferent ways or not at all. For instance, some embodiments display thenavigable location using the entire composite display area such that nobuffer areas or boundary indicators are displayed.

In some embodiments, the sub-area is automatically scrolled and/orzoomed to only include content that is part of the selected location.The sub-area may also display content that is not included in theselected location in some embodiments (e.g., when a user manuallyscrolls the composite display area). The buffer areas 2450-2460typically display content that is not included in the selected location(and associated version, if any). However, in some embodiments, thebuffer areas may show content that is included in the selected location.In addition, although the buffer areas are shown as partially obscured,in some embodiments a user may nonetheless manipulate clips in thoseareas.

Different embodiments activate the version indicators 2420 in differentways. For instance, some embodiments display the version indicators whena user makes a selection from a menu, activates a button, or performssome explicit action. As another example, in some embodiments, theversion indicators are displayed whenever version information isavailable for a project. In this example, the version indicators areshown as bold lines under the associated navigation markers, butdifferent embodiments may use different version indicators (e.g.,indicators that are associated with locations along the compositedisplay area instead of the navigation markers) or not display versionindicators.

As with the version indicators, the boundary indicators 2430-2440 andbuffer areas 2450-2460 may be activated in various ways in variousdifferent embodiments. In this example, the boundary indicators areshown as bold brackets placed over the composite display area, butdifferent embodiments may represent the boundary indicators in differentways (e.g., markers placed along the timeline, a separate compositedisplay area, etc.) or not display boundary indicators. The buffer areasare represented as partially obscured through a diagonal pattern.Different embodiments may display the buffer areas in different ways(e.g., as differently colored areas of the composite display area, aspartially obscured, etc.) or not display buffer areas.

FIG. 25 illustrates another example GUI 600 of a media editingapplication of some embodiments. Specifically, this figure shows a GUIthat includes a navigation tool 710 with a version display area 2510provided by the version management feature of some embodiments. The GUI600 is the same GUI described above in reference to FIGS. 6-8, 11-13,16, 18, 20-21, and 23-24. In addition to the features described above,the GUI includes a version display area 2510 for providing a visualsummary of the various available versions for all locationscorresponding to the navigation markers in the navigation tool. In thisexample, the version display area includes various thumbnail images 2520that serve as selectable version markers associated with differentnavigable locations of the composite representation.

Different embodiments may use different markers (e.g., textual,graphical, etc.). In some embodiments, a user may customize thepresentation of the version display area 2510 by selecting the desiredtype of marker from a set of available options. In addition, the versiondisplay area of some embodiments may display labels associated with eachof the version markers for providing information to a user regarding theversions associated with the markers.

Different embodiments may activate the version display area 2510 indifferent ways. For instance, some embodiments display the versiondisplay area when a user makes a selection from a menu, activates abutton, or performs some other explicit action. In some embodiments, theversion display area may be displayed whenever version information isavailable for a project.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that actualimplementations of various media editing applications may differ fromthe conceptual representations shown in FIGS. 23-25. For instance, aparticular implementation may include version management withoutincluding a navigation tool. In such cases, the version indicators maybe associated with different GUI elements (e.g., a list, markers alongthe timeline, indications in the composite display area, etc.). Inaddition, although various examples above and below may show specificcontrols, selection options, etc., one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that other specific controls, selection options, and/or othercomponents may be implemented in various different ways. For instance,some embodiments may not display buffer areas or boundary indicators, ormay only display such elements based on a user selection. As anotherexample, some embodiments may include back/forward navigation controlsfor selecting among versions.

In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that theoperations of process 2200 are conceptual and may not necessarily beperformed in the order shown. For instance, in some embodiments, theprocess may retrieve location and/or version information (if available)before receiving a command to invoke the version management featuretool. Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed indifferent embodiments. Also, the process may not be performed as onecontinuous series of operations. In addition, the process could beimplemented using several sub-processes, or as part of a largermacro-process.

B. Accessing Saved Versions

As described above in reference to FIG. 4, in some embodiments thenavigation tool allows a user to select from the available versions ofproject locations. FIG. 26 conceptually illustrates an example of aprocess 2600 used by some embodiments use to receive version selectionsusing the version management feature. Process 2600 will be described byreference to FIG. 27 which illustrates an example of user interaction.

FIG. 27 illustrates an example of using the version display area 2510 ofsome embodiments to select a different version of a location in acomposite project. In this example, a user selects a version using theselectable version markers 2520 provided in the version display area.FIG. 27 illustrates the same GUI 600 as described above in reference toFIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, and 23-25. To illustrate the example ofselecting a different version of a location using the version displayarea in this manner, FIG. 27 describes four different stages 2710-2740of a user's interaction with the GUI 600.

Process 2600 begins when the version management feature of someembodiments is invoked. Next, the process determines (at 2610) whether acursor is over a version marker (e.g., version indicator 2420 of FIG. 24or version marker 2520). In some embodiments, a navigation marker mayserve as a version marker (e.g., when selected after activating theversion management feature, when selected in conjunction with acombination of keystrokes, etc.). When the process determines that thecursor is not over a version marker, the process returns to operation2610. In some embodiments, this operation may be repeated (e.g., atregular intervals, continuously, etc.) until the version managementfeature is deactivated, a timeout period is reached, or some othercriteria. Alternatively, in some embodiments process 2600 may begin whenthe cursor is moved over a version marker.

When the process determines (at 2610) that the cursor is over a versionmarker, the process retrieves (at 2620) version information associatedwith the marker. In some embodiments, the version information mayinclude multiple versions (e.g., the example of FIG. 4 where a set ofpop-up menu options are retrieved for each selected marker). In someembodiments, the version information may include a single versionassociated with the marker (e.g., the example of FIG. 25 where a singleversion is associated with each version marker 2520).

Next, the process displays (at 2630) selectable versions associated withthe marker. The selectable versions may be presented in different waysin different embodiments. Some embodiments provide a pop-up menu with aset of selectable options (e.g., the example of FIG. 4). In someembodiments, a single option is presented for each marker (e.g., theexample of FIG. 25). Alternatively and/or conjunctively, someembodiments may display a set of graphical indicators or some otherappropriate way of presenting the available selection option(s) to auser. One example of such a display is described below.

FIG. 27 shows a first stage 2710 that is before the user has positionedthe cursor over any version marker. FIG. 27 further shows a second stage2720 of user interaction that is after the user has positioned thecursor 690 over a particular version marker 2750, thus activating aversion selection option 2760. The selection option of this exampleincludes text and graphical information. Different embodiments maydisplay the selection option in different ways (e.g., as a purelytextual display, with different informational attributes, etc.). In someembodiments, the selection option may be activated whenever the cursoris positioned over a version marker after activating the version displayarea. Alternatively, such a selection option may be activated byperforming various operations (e.g., a right-click operation, a seriesof keystrokes, a combination of keystrokes and cursor controloperations, etc.).

Process 2600 then determines (at 2640) whether a version has beenselected. In some embodiments, the selection may involve performing acursor click operation over a version selection option (e.g., a pop-upmenu selection option as described above in reference to FIG. 4). Someembodiments may receive a selection through a series of keystrokes, aGUI item, a hotkey selection, or some other appropriate way. When theprocess determines (at 2640) that no version has been selected, theprocess continuously repeats operations 2630-2640 until the processdetermines (at 2640) that a selection has been made. In some cases(e.g., when the cursor has moved from a location over the versionmarker), the process repeats operations 2610-2640 until the processdetermines (at 2640) that a selection is made. One example selection isdescribed below.

FIG. 27 also shows a third stage 2730 of user interaction that is afterthe user has positioned the cursor over a selectable area 2770 of theparticular selection option 2760. As shown, the display of the text areaof the particular option has been inverted to indicate that the cursoris positioned over the selectable area of the option. In this stage, theuser performs a cursor click operation to select the version of thelocation associated with the particular option. Different embodimentsallow a user to make this selection in various ways (e.g., a combinationof keystrokes, a hotkey selection, etc.).

Returning to FIG. 26, when process 2600 determines that a selection of aparticular version has been made, the process retrieves (at 2650) theinformation associated with the particular version. The information mayinclude references to locations of the project, clips, settings, etc.Conceptual data structures used to store version information will bedescribed in more detail in reference to FIG. 34 below.

The process then updates (at 2660) the display based on the selection.The update of the display may include updating the composite displayarea, the preview display area, and/or other areas of the GUI asappropriate. In addition, some embodiments update the display of thenavigation tool to reflect the navigation marker associated with thecurrently-selected version. One example of such a display update isdescribed below.

FIG. 27 shows a fourth stage 2740 of user interaction that is after thecomposite display area has been updated to present the version of thelocation associated with the particular selection option 2760. In thisexample, several clips have been replaced, trimmed, moved, etc. Inaddition to updating the composite display area 630, some embodimentsalso update the preview display area 610 (e.g., to reflect the contentat the current playhead position, to reflect the content of a selectedclip, etc.) and/or other sections of the GUI 600.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 2600 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. Furthermore, different specific operations may be performedin different embodiments. For instance, when using a version managementfeature such as that described in reference to FIG. 4, some embodimentsmay not proceed to operation 2620 until the pop-up menu is invoked(e.g., through a right click cursor operation). Also, the process maynot be performed as one continuous series of operations. In addition,the process could be implemented using several sub-processes, or as partof a larger macro-process.

In some embodiments, the version markers 2750 in the version displayarea 2510 are presented in a sorted stack. Thus, the most-recentlyaccessed version may be placed at the top of the stack, with the nextmost-recently accessed version placed below that, and so on. In somesuch embodiments, the first-in/last-out stack may be updated whenever auser selects a version. In this way, a user may easily select amongversions of recent interest to the user. Different embodiments maypresent the version selection options in various different ways (e.g.,in the order of creation, sorted alphabetically, etc.). In someembodiments, a user may select from among different presentations of theversion selection options (e.g., by selecting a menu option, through oneor more keystroke commands, etc.). Similarly, the options of a pop-upmenu such as that described above in reference to FIG. 4 could bearranged in various ways.

C. Management of Available Versions

As described above, in some embodiments the version management featureallows a user to manage the available versions for locations of aproject. FIG. 28 conceptually illustrates an example of a process 2800some embodiments use to generate new versions, delete existing versions,or update temporary versions of locations of the composite project.Process 2800 will be described by reference to FIGS. 4, 24, and 29.

Process 2800 begins when a user activates the version management featureof some embodiments. The user may activate the feature in a similarmanner to that described above in reference to FIGS. 23-25. After theversion management feature is activated, the process receives (at 2810)edits to a project location. Such edits may include removing clips fromthe location, adding clips to the location, modifying the attributes ofclips included in the location (e.g., by trimming clips, moving clipsalong the timeline, etc.), and/or other edit operations. These edits maybe received in different ways in different embodiments (e.g., throughcursor operations, series of keystrokes, etc.).

Next, the process determines (at 2820) whether a command has beenreceived to store the modified location as a new version. Someembodiments receive this command through a pop-up menu selection, asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 4. Different embodiments receivethe command in different ways (e.g., a hotkey selection, a series ofkeystrokes, etc.). When the process determines that a command to storethe version was received, the process generates (at 2830) a new versionreflecting the edits to the project location. Otherwise, the processdetermines (at 2840) whether a temporary version of the location exists.

In some embodiments, whenever edits are made to a location, a temporary(or “dirty”) version is saved. The edits to such a temporary version maynot be saved under certain conditions (e.g., when the user selects adifferent version before saving the temporary version, when the usercloses the project without saving edits, etc.). When the processdetermines (at 2840) that a temporary version exists, the processoverwrites (at 2850) the temporary version to reflect the receivededits. Otherwise, the process generates (at 2860) a temporary version toreflect the edits. In some embodiments, when no temporary versionexisted previously, no temporary version is created because there is noother version (in other words, the location includes only oneversion—the current dirty version).

Different embodiments may manage temporary versions in different ways.For instance, some embodiments automatically save a temporary versionwhen any location is modified. Other embodiments do not save temporaryversions at all (i.e., a new version is created only when a userexplicitly requests a new version to be created). Some embodiments mayindicate which locations have temporary versions using markers such asmarker 2420 shown in FIG. 24. In some embodiments, these markers may bedifferentiated to indicate which locations have temporary versionsversus locations that have only previously-stored and/or currentversions. Different embodiments may differentiate the markers indifferent ways (e.g., by using different colors, different shapes,etc.).

Returning to FIG. 28, process 2800 then determines (at 2870) whether acommand has been received to delete an existing version. Such a commandmay be received in various ways (e.g., through a menu selection, one ormore keystroke commands, etc.). When the process determines that adelete command has been received, the process deletes (at 2880) theexisting version. One example of such a deletion operation is describedbelow in reference to FIG. 29.

Otherwise, or after deleting the existing version, process 2800determines (at 2890) whether there are other edits to the location.Different embodiments may make this determination in different ways. Forinstance, in some embodiments the process may determine (at 2890) thatthere are other edits to the location unless the user navigates to adifferent project location. When process 2800 determines (at 2890) thatthere are other edits to the location, the process repeats operations2810-2890 until the process determines (at 2890) that there are no otheredits to the location and ends.

In some embodiments, when a command is received to close a project (orto close a media editing application with an open project), the user isprompted to save any unsaved edits. These unsaved edits may includemodifications to or creation of temporary versions, creation of newversions, deletion of existing versions, etc. In some embodiments a usermay be able to select individual edits to save (e.g., by checking aselection box next to an item in a displayed list of unsaved edits). Insome of these embodiments, the project file may be updated when the userelects to save any of the unsaved edits. Different embodiments may saveedits to projects in different ways. For instance, some embodimentsprompt a user to save edits at regular intervals, whenever a change ismade, etc. Other embodiments save all edits but allow a user to undoedits at a later time. Some embodiments retain temporary versions,including any unsaved edits to any versions, such that the temporaryversions can be recalled (and saved, if desired) at a later time. Inthis way, a user's work may be saved unless the user explicitly deletesa temporary version, thus potentially allowing a user to modify anexisting version over several editing sessions without saving a newversion until the user is satisfied with the edits. In other words, auser can quit an application without saving the temporary versions, andhave the temporary versions appear the next time he starts theapplication.

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of managing which versions are availablefor a particular location of a composite project. In this example, auser deletes a version of a location in a composite project usingversion management GUI items 2950-2955. Such GUI items may also beincluded in a GUI such as GUI 600 described above in reference to FIGS.6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, 23-25, and 27. Alternatively, the GUI itemsmay be provided externally to the media editing application's GUI (e.g.,as separate browser windows). In some embodiments, a GUI item such aspop-up menu 470 described above in reference to FIG. 4 may serve as GUIitem 2950. A GUI item such as media library 620 described above inreference to FIG. 6 may serve as GUI item 2955 in some embodiments.Different embodiments may activate and/or display the GUI items indifferent ways. To illustrate the example of deleting a version of alocation, FIG. 29 describes four different stages 2910-2940 of a user'sinteraction with the GUI items 2950-2955.

FIG. 29 shows a first stage 2910 that is after the GUI items 2950-2955have been invoked. In some embodiments, a different GUI item 2950 may bepresented for each location. In other embodiments, a single GUI item2950 may allow a user to select among various locations (e.g., byperforming a menu selection, by performing one or more keystrokecommands, etc.). Different embodiments may display the versions for eachlocation in various other ways (e.g., by including a separate folder foreach location in the GUI item 2950, by appending a location name to thebeginning of each version name, etc.). Similarly, in some embodiments adifferent GUI item 2955 may be presented for each location, the GUI item2955 may allow a user to select among locations, etc.

In this stage 2910, GUI item 2950 displays a separate versionrepresentation 2960 for each available version for a particular projectlocation. In addition, GUI item 2955 displays a separate representationfor each location in the project. Different embodiments may includedifferent representations 2960-2965 (e.g., textual, graphical, etc.).Some embodiments may provide different views of the representations2960-2965 (e.g., a thumbnail view, a list view, an icon view, etc.).Different embodiments allow a user to select among the different viewsin various ways (e.g., through a series of keystrokes, by activating aGUI control, etc.). In addition, the representations 2960-2965 may bedisplayed with various attributes (e.g., version name, save date, etc.).In this stage 2910, the user has moved the cursor 690 to a location overa particular version representation 2960.

FIG. 29 further shows a second stage 2920 of user interaction that isafter the user has selected representation 2960 (e.g., by performing aleft-click operation while the cursor is positioned over therepresentation). The selection has been indicated by a bold outline inthis example; however different embodiments may indicate the selectionin different ways. In this stage, the user has dragged the selectedrepresentation to a location over folder 2970 in GUI item 2955 andreleased the selected representation over the folder (referred to as the“floor” in this example).

FIG. 29 also shows a third stage 2930 of user interaction that is afterthe user has released the selected representation over the folder. Asshown, the representation 2960 in GUI item 2950 is shown with a dashedborder to indicate that the representation is being removed from GUIitem 2950. In addition, a representation 2980 of the versioncorresponding to representation 2960 is shown in GUI item 2955. Therepresentation 2980 is shown with a dashed border to indicate that therepresentation is being displayed in GUI item 2955. Some embodiments mayanimate this process (i.e., the representation 2960 is shown as becomingmore transparent as the representation 2980 becomes less transparent).

Lastly, FIG. 29 shows a fourth stage 2940 of user interaction that isafter the GUI items have been updated to reflect that the versioncorresponding to representation 2960 and representation 2980 has beenremoved from the available versions in GUI item 2950 and instead hasbeen placed in folder 2970. In some embodiments, once a version has beendeleted to the floor, the version is no longer shown as an option whenselecting among available versions. Thus, folder 2970 may act as arepository for versions that are associated with a particular project,but which are not made available for selection. In this way, a user maylimit the number of selectable versions for a particular location of aproject without permanently deleting any versions.

In some embodiments, a deleted version may be restored by selecting thecorresponding representation from folder 2970 in GUI item 2955 anddragging the representation to a location in GUI item 2950 beforereleasing the representation. Some embodiments allow a user to restore adeleted version by retaining an association between the deleted versionand the location of the project that corresponds to the version. Forinstance, in some embodiments, folder 2970 includes a set ofsub-folders, where each sub-folder corresponds to a project location. Asanother example, in some embodiments the deleted versions include a flagthat associates the versions with particular locations of the project.As yet another example, in some embodiments, the deleted versions arenamed such that they can be matched to project locations (e.g., thelocation name may be appended to beginning of the version name).

Although the operations used to delete a version have been describedwith reference to certain features and details, one of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that different embodiments may delete versions indifferent ways. For instance, a user could activate a pop-up menu over arepresentation of a version and select an option such as “delete tofloor.” Alternatively, a user may select a version marker from theversion display area and then press a “delete” key.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 2800 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, in some embodiments, the process maydetermine whether a temporary version of the location exists beforedetermining whether a command to store a new version has been received.Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed in differentembodiments. Also, the process may not be performed as one continuousseries of operations. In addition, the process could be implementedusing several sub-processes, or as part of a larger macro-process.

D. Collaboration Using the Version Management Feature

As described above in reference to FIG. 5, in some embodiments acollaboration feature may be implemented with the version managementfeature. FIG. 30 conceptually illustrates an example of a process 3000used by some embodiments to check out a version for review by acollaborator using the version management feature of some embodiments.Process 3000 will be described with reference to FIG. 31.

Process 3000 begins when the version management feature of someembodiments is invoked. Next, the process receives (at 3010) a selectionof one or more versions to be checked out. In some embodiments, theversions may be selected using the navigation markers of the navigationtool, the version markers of the version display area, a menu selection,or some other appropriate way.

Process 3000 then locks (at 3020) the selected versions for editing. Insome embodiments, this locking involves setting a flag and/or some otherindication such that the selected version(s) may not be modified by anyusers (other than the selected collaborator). In some embodiments, oneor more users may be able to unlock the version(s). In some of theseembodiments, only users with certain authority or privileges may be ableto unlock and modify the previously checked out version(s). Next, theprocess receives (at 3030) a selection of one or more collaborators toreview or modify the selected versions. This selection may be receivedin various ways. One example of receiving a selection of versions forcheck-out and a selection of a collaborator is described below.

FIG. 31 illustrates an example of using the version management featureof some embodiments to collaborate among users. In this example, a userselects multiple versions and checks out the selected versions to acollaborator using the version management feature in conjunction withthe navigation tool. FIG. 31 illustrates the same GUI 600 as describedabove in reference to FIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, 23-25, and 27. Toillustrate the example of collaborating among users using the versionmanagement feature in this manner, FIG. 31 describes four differentstages 3110-3140 of a user's interaction with the GUI 600.

FIG. 31 shows a first stage 3110 that is after the user has selectedmultiple versions 3150-3155 (e.g., by performing a series of ctrl-clickcursor operations) to be checked out for review by the collaborator. Inthis stage, the user activates a pop-up menu 3160 (e.g., through a rightclick operation), and selects a collaboration option 3165. The userfurther selects a specific collaborator 3170. In some embodiments, auser may be able to select from various pre-existing collaboratorsand/or add a new collaborator.

Various collaborators may have various different privileges and/oraccess permissions to a project. For instance, in some embodiments aproject has a “super-user” that has privilege to access any location ofa project, and who may control the access provided to other users (e.g.,by setting a privilege status for other users, by allowing access to aparticular account, etc.). Such access control may be granted at aproject level, at a location level, at a clip level, or some otherappropriate level of access. In addition, a super-user may control theoptions available to each user (e.g., whether a user may modify anylocations of a project).

In addition to receiving the selection of a collaborator, someembodiments receive various other information such as informationregarding the collaborator (e.g., e-mail, name, etc.), project (e.g.,title, status, etc.), file format, notification type, etc. Theinformation may be received in various appropriate ways, one example ofwhich is described below.

FIG. 31 further shows a second stage 3120 of user interaction that isafter the user has selected a collaborator using a pop-up menu. In thisstage, the version management feature presents a dialog box 3175 thatincludes various fields, buttons, controls, etc. In some embodiments,the dialog box may be pre-populated using data that has beenpreviously-entered for a pre-existing collaborator. In addition, theuser fills in any missing information and selects a submit option 3180(or some similar option or command).

FIG. 31 also shows a third stage 3130 of user interaction that is afterthe user has submitted the information in the dialog box 3175. As shown,another dialog box 3185 has been presented. In this stage, the user mayenter a comment to accompany the selected versions sent to thecollaborator. Different embodiments may present various differentoptions, controls, text entry fields, etc. in one or more dialog boxessuch as boxes 3175 and 3185.

Returning to FIG. 30, after receiving a collaborator selection, process3000 sends (at 3040) a notification and associated data to thecollaborator. In some embodiments, only a notification is sent, as thecollaborator may have access to the same project data as the user (e.g.,through a shared storage accessed over a network). Alternatively, someembodiments send various other data to the collaborator (e.g., clipdata, location information, project data, etc.).

The process then updates (at 3050) the display based on the checked-outversions. Different embodiments may update the display in variousdifferent ways. The update may include placing various graphical markersand/or other indications associated with the checked-out versions suchthat a user receives a visual indication of the status of each version.One example of such a display update is described below.

FIG. 31 shows a fourth stage 3140 of user interaction that is after theuser has submitted the selected versions to the collaborator for review.In this example, check-out indicators 3190 have been placed over thenavigation markers corresponding to the checked-out versions. In thismanner, a visual indication is provided as to which versions are checkedout (and which may be locked for editing).

After updating (at 3050) the display, process 3000 updates (at 3060) theproject file based on the checked-out versions. Different embodimentsmay store the check-out information in various ways. Several conceptualexamples of the data structures used by some embodiments are describedbelow in reference to FIG. 34.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 3000 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For example, some embodiments may not lock the versionsuntil after sending the notification and data to the collaborator.Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed in differentembodiments. Also, the process may not be performed as one continuousseries of operations. In addition, the process could be implementedusing several sub-processes, or as part of a larger macro-process.

After checking out a version, the checked-out version may be returnedfrom the collaborator. The returned version may include variousmodifications made by the collaborator, or be the same as thechecked-out version (e.g., when the collaborator is reviewing theversion). FIG. 32 illustrates an example of a conceptual process 3200that some embodiments use to check in versions using the versionmanagement feature. Process 3200 will be described with reference toFIG. 33.

Process 3200 begins when the version management feature of someembodiments is invoked. Next, the process receives (at 3210) anotification that one or more versions are available for check in.Different embodiments may receive the notification in different ways.For instance, in some embodiments an e-mail notification may bereceived, or some other notification that is provided externally to themedia editing application. Alternatively, some embodiments may receive anotification when a project is loaded (e.g., by monitoring the status ofpreviously checked-out versions stored in a central location). Someembodiments provide a notification to the user through the GUI of themedia editing application as described below.

FIG. 33 illustrates another example of using the version managementfeature of some embodiments to collaborate among users. In this example,the user receives an indication that a checked-out version has beenreturned from the collaborator. FIG. 33 illustrates the same GUI 600 asdescribed above in reference to FIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, 23-25,27, and 31. To illustrate the example of checking in a returned versionusing the version management feature in this manner, FIG. 33 describesfour different stages 3310-3340 of a user's interaction with the GUI600.

FIG. 33 shows a first stage 3310 that is after the user checked outmultiple versions 3150-3155 for review by the collaborator. This stagereflects the state of the GUI in the fourth stage 3190 described abovein reference to FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 further shows a second stage 3320 of user interaction that isafter the user has received an indication that a version has beenreturned from the collaborator. In this stage, marker 3190 shown in FIG.31 has been replaced by a different marker 3350 in order to indicatethat the version associated with that marker has been returned.Different embodiments may indicate that the version has been returned indifferent ways (e.g., by changing the color of the marker, by changingthe shaped of the marker, using a textual indication, etc.).

In some embodiments, in addition to the notification, project data isalso received. Some embodiments allow a collaborator to modify theversions that have been checked out to the collaborator. In someembodiments, the collaborator and user may both have access to the samedatabase such that the various modified versions are available to allcollaborators. In addition, some collaborators may have access to only aportion of the database (e.g., particular versions, clips, locations,etc. of the project file). In some embodiments, various files (e.g.,clips, project data, etc.) may be shared among users using someappropriate delivery method (e.g., e-mail).

Returning to FIG. 32, process 3200 then determines (at 3220) whether theversion (or versions) has been accepted. Such a determination willtypically be based on the user's review of the returned version (e.g.,by viewing a preview of the returned version). Some embodiments may makethe determination based on a selection received in some appropriate way.When the process determines that the version has not been accepted, theprocess continues to operation 3260, described below. Otherwise, theprocess unlocks (at 3230) the selected versions. In some embodiments,the unlocking includes setting various flags or other data fieldsregarding the versions. Various conceptual data structures used by someembodiments to implement such version management features are describedbelow in reference to FIG. 34. One example way of reviewing a versionfor check in is described below.

FIG. 33 also shows a third stage 3330 of user interaction that is afterthe user has activated a pop-up menu 3360. Different embodiments mayprovide various different menu options. In some embodiments, a user mayactivate such a menu by, for example, performing a right click operationwhen the cursor is located over the marker 3350. In this stage, the userselects the “check-in” option from the menu. In this manner, thereturned version is checked back in, and unlocked for editing by theuser. In some embodiments, when a user rejects a version provided forcheck in, the checked-out version may also be unlocked for editing bythe user. In either case, some embodiments may provide various dialogboxes to the user such that the user may enter information regarding thedecision to accept or reject the version. Furthermore, some embodimentsmay automatically provide notification of the decision (e.g., thoughe-mail) to various other collaborators.

Process 3200 then updates (at 3240) the display and updates (at 3250)the project file based on the checked in version(s) in a similar mannerto that described above in reference to operations 3050 and 3060 ofprocess 3000. However, the display may typically be updated by removinga marker as described below.

Lastly, FIG. 33 shows a fourth stage 3340 of user interaction that isafter the user has approved the checked-out version. In this example,marker 3350 has been removed from the display in order to indicate thatthe associated version has not been checked out.

Returning to FIG. 32, after updating (at 3250) the display, ordetermining (at 3220) that one or more versions have been rejected,process 3200 sends (at 3260) a notification to the collaboratorindicating whether the returned version has been accepted or rejected.The notification may be sent in different ways in different embodiments(e.g., by e-mail, through the GUI when a user accesses a project file ormedia editing application, etc.).

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the operations ofprocess 3200 are conceptual and may not necessarily be performed in theorder shown. For instance, in some embodiments, the process may notunlock the selected versions until after updating the display.Furthermore, different specific operations may be performed in differentembodiments. Also, the process may not be performed as one continuousseries of operations. In addition, the process could be implementedusing several sub-processes, or as part of a larger macro-process.

IV. Software Architecture and Implementation

In some embodiments, the processes described above are implemented assoftware running on a particular machine, such as a computer or ahandheld device, or stored in a computer readable medium. Sub-sectionIV.A below describes various conceptual data structures used by someembodiments to implement such software. Sub-section IV.B then describesa conceptual software architecture used by some embodiments to presentthe tools and features described above.

A. Data Structures

FIG. 34 illustrates an example data structure of a composite projectfile 3400 used by some embodiments to implement various tools andfeatures of the media editing application described above. As shown, theproject file includes a track data element 3410. Such a track dataelement may be used to implement the video tracks, audio tracks, and/orother types of tracks (e.g., effects tracks, text overlay tracks, etc.)that may be included in a composite project. For example, the track dataelement could be used to implement a track such as track 670 describedabove in reference to FIG. 6. Although only one track data element isshown, a project will typically include multiple tracks, with each trackcorresponding to a different track data element. Each track data elementincludes multiple sub-elements 3415. These sub-elements may include datasuch as a track ID (e.g., “Audio Track 1”), track attributes (e.g.,“audio”, “video”, etc.), and track status (e.g., “active”, “inactive”,etc.). In addition, each track data element includes one or morereferences to various clip data elements 3420.

Each clip data element 3420 corresponds to a media clip that isreferenced by a track data element (e.g., clip 675 described above inreference to FIG. 6). Each clip data element includes varioussub-elements 3425. The sub-elements may include data such as a clip ID(e.g., “clip 1”), clip attributes (e.g., “audio”, “video”, etc.), clipstatus (e.g., “active”, “inactive”, etc.), as well as other data (e.g.,timeline in, timeline out, source in, source out, etc.).

In some embodiments each clip data element may include one or morereferences to media content (not shown). Such media content may includevideo files, audio files, digital images, etc. In some embodiments, themedia content may be stored externally to the project file.Alternatively, in some embodiments the media content may be storedwithin the project file.

In addition to the track and clip data elements 3410 and 3420, in someembodiments the project file includes a navigation tool data element3430. Such a navigation tool data element may be used to implement thenavigation tool of some embodiments (e.g., tool 710 described above inreference to FIG. 7). The navigation tool data element includessub-elements such as tool attributes (e.g., display mode, display size,etc.) and tool status (e.g., “active”, “inactive”, etc.). Eachnavigation tool data element also includes one or more references tovarious marker data elements 3440.

Each marker data element 3440 corresponds to a navigation markerreferenced by the navigation tool (e.g., navigation marker 720 describedabove in reference to FIG. 7). The marker data element 3440 may includevarious sub-elements 3445. These sub-elements may include a marker ID(e.g., “intro”, “scene 1”, etc.), marker attributes, marker status(e.g., “selected”, “highlighted”, “inactive”, etc.), thumbnail image,location, and access date. In some embodiments, the thumbnail image maybe stored externally to the project file and referenced by the markerdata element 3440. In other embodiments, the thumbnail image may bestored in the project file. In addition, the marker data elementincludes a reference to a clip set data element 3450 in this example;however different types of locations (e.g., those described above inreference to FIG. 9) may be referenced in different embodiments. Forinstance, some embodiments may include a reference to a single clip, areference to timeline in and out points, etc., depending on the type ofnavigable location used by the navigation tool. The access datesub-element may be used to generate the last in/first out stacksdescribed above in reference to the navigation controls 1850 of FIG. 18.

The clip set data element 3450 includes several sub-elements 3455. Inthis example, the sub-elements include a clip set ID (e.g., “scene1-take 1”, “concert footage”, etc.), clip set attributes, clip setstatus, access date and active version. The active version sub-elementmay be used to designate the currently-active version when more than oneversion is available for a project location. In addition, the clip setdata element 3450 includes one or more references to a version dataelement 3460 in some embodiments.

The version data element 3460 includes various sub-elements 3465. Thesub-elements in this example include a version ID (e.g., “scene1-v1.1”), version attributes, version status (e.g., “modified sincesave”, “checked-out”, “available for check-in”, etc.), access date,location, and references to clips. The access date may be used by someembodiments to generate the last in/first out stacks of the versionmanagement feature described above in reference to FIG. 27. Thereferences to clips may include multiple clip references similar to clipreferences of the track data element 3410 and may reference clip dataelements such as clip element 3420. In addition, the version dataelement of some embodiments includes one or more references to acollaborator data element 3470.

Each collaborator data element 3470 may include sub-elements such as acollaborator ID (e.g., “Ted”, “Bill”, etc.), collaborator attributes(e.g., “editor”, “sound”, “effects”, etc.), collaborator status (e.g.,“active”, “former”, etc.), and access permission. The collaborator dataelement 3470 may be used to implement feature such as those describedabove in reference to FIGS. 30-33.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that project file 3400is a conceptual representation only. Different embodiments may implementthe data structures in various different ways. For instance, someembodiments may include various other elements in the project file(e.g., author name, project title, etc.). In addition, many of theexample values are conceptual only and may be implemented in differentways in different embodiments. For instance, rather than a value such as“checked-out”, a version status data element may include an alphanumericstring (or other data structure) that specifies the version status.

In addition, some embodiments may include different numbers ofindividual elements, different references and/or data in each element,and/or different structures. For instance, in some embodiments thenavigation tool is implemented hierarchically, and thus a marker dataelement 3440 may reference a different navigation tool data elementrather than a clip set data element (or other type of location dataelement). As another example, some embodiments may not include versiondata elements (i.e., some project files may not include versioninformation). In such cases, the clip set data element 3450 (or otherlocation data element) may refer directly to various clip data elementssuch as data element 3420 (or other elements as appropriate for thelocation type).

Furthermore, although various sub-elements are included in some dataelements, these sub-elements may not always be populated with values ormay not be populated with current values. For instance, the locationsub-element of marker data element 3440 may depend on which version isof a location is active. In such a case, the clip set data element 3450may be analyzed to determine the active version, the appropriate versiondata element 3465 may then be analyzed to determine the location of theactive version (which may in turn depend on the clip references includedin the version data element). At that point, the determined location maybe populated through the other data elements (e.g., the clip set dataelement 3450 and marker data element 3440).

B. Software Block Diagram

FIG. 35 conceptually illustrates the software architecture of anapplication 3500 of some embodiments for providing tools and featuressuch as those described in the preceding sections. In some embodiments,the application is a stand-alone application or is integrated intoanother application (for instance, application 3500 might be a portionof a video-editing application), while in other embodiments theapplication might be implemented within an operating system.Furthermore, in some embodiments, the application is provided as part ofa server-based (e.g., web-based) solution. In some such embodiments, theapplication is provided via a thin client. That is, the application runson a server while a user interacts with the application via a separateclient machine remote from the server (e.g., via a browser on the clientmachine). In other such embodiments, the application is provided via athick client. That is, the application is distributed from the server tothe client machine and runs on the client machine.

Media editing application 3500 includes a user interface interactionmodule 3515 for sending data to and receiving data from a user, anediting module 3520 for receiving and processing edits to a compositeproject, a navigation module 3525 for implementing the navigation toolof some embodiments, a version management module 3530 for implementingthe version management features of some embodiments, a rendering engine3535 used to generate image data and/or audio data for storage and/orplayback, and a set of storages 3540 for storing data used by theapplication 3500. The set of storages 3540 includes storages for projectdata 3545, content data 3550, and other data 3555.

The operating system 3510 of some embodiments includes a cursorcontroller driver 3560 that allows the application 3500 to receive datafrom a cursor control device, a keyboard driver 3565 for that allows theapplication 3500 to receive data from a keyboard, an audio playbackmodule 3570 for processing audio data that will be supplied to an audiodevice (e.g., a soundcard and speakers), and a display module 3575 forprocessing video data that will be supplied to a display device (e.g., amonitor).

A user interacts with items in the user interface of the media editingapplication 3500 via input devices (not shown) such as a cursorcontroller (e.g., a mouse, touchpad, trackpad, etc.) and/or keyboard.The input from these devices is processed by the cursor controllerdriver 3560 and/or the keyboard driver 3565, and passed to the userinterface interaction module 3515. In addition, other embodiments mayallow a user to interact with items in the user interface using otherinput devices (e.g., a microphone) that are processed by other driversand/or software modules (e.g., a microphone driver and avoice-recognition module).

The present application describes a graphical user interface thatprovides users with numerous ways to perform different sets ofoperations and functionalities. In some embodiments, these operationsand functionalities are performed based on different commands that arereceived from users through different input devices (e.g., keyboard,trackpad, touchpad, mouse, etc). For example, the present applicationdescribes the use of a cursor in the graphical user interface to control(e.g., select, move) objects in the graphical user interface. However,in some embodiments, objects in the graphical user interface can also becontrolled or manipulated through other controls, such as touch control.

In some embodiments, touch control is implemented through an inputdevice that can detect the presence and location of touch on a displayof the device. An example of such a device is a touch screen device. Insome embodiments, with touch control, a user can directly manipulateobjects by interacting with the graphical user interface that isdisplayed on the display of the touch screen device. For instance, auser can select a particular object in the graphical user interface bysimply touching that particular object on the display of the touchscreen device. As such, when touch control is utilized, a cursor may noteven be provided for enabling selection of an object of a graphical userinterface in some embodiments. However, when a cursor is provided in agraphical user interface, touch control can be used to control thecursor in some embodiments.

The user interface interaction module 3515 translates the data from thedrivers 3560 and 3565 into the user's desired effect on the mediaediting application 3500. For example, when the user edits content in adisplay area of the media editing application, the user interfaceinteraction module 3515 may translate these edits into instructions thatare processed by the editing module 3520 in some embodiments. In otherembodiments, the edits may be applied directly to project data 3545, orother data stored by the application 3500 in the set of storages 3540.An example of the user editing content is if the user trims a media clipin a display area of the media editing application 3500. The userinterface interaction module 3515 also receives input data that istranslated as instructions to preview visual content in a previewdisplay area (for example, if a user clicks a play control while editinga media project).

Editing module 3520 of some embodiments processes edit instructionsreceived from the user interface interaction module 3515 and dataretrieved from the set of data storages 3540. Editing module 3520 mayalso create and/or update data stored within the set of data storages3540 based on received instructions that affect the project data 3545,content 3550, or other stored data 3555. In addition, the editing module3520 may send and/or receive instructions and/or data to and from thenavigation module 3525 and/or version management module 3530 of someembodiments. Furthermore, the editing module 3520 may also send dataand/or instructions to the rendering engine 3535 of some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the editing module 3520 may include varioussub-modules. For instance, some embodiments may include a compositedisplay area control module as a sub-module of the editing module 3520.Such a sub-module processes instructions received through the userinterface interaction module 3515 and data retrieved from the set ofdata storages 3540. The composite display area control module mayperform, for example, some or all of the operations of processes 1500,1900, and/or 2600 in some embodiments. In addition, the compositedisplay area control module may operate in conjunction with othermodules (e.g., performing process 1500 in conjunction with the userinterface interaction module 3515, performing process 1900 inconjunction with the editing module 3520, etc.).

The navigation module 3525 of some embodiments processes navigationinstructions received through the editing module 3520. The navigationmodule also accesses and/or generates data (e.g., location dataelements, access history data elements, navigation marker references,etc.) stored within the set of storages 3540. The navigation module 3525may perform, for example, some or all of the operations of processes1000, 1400, 1500, 1700, and/or 1900 in some embodiments. In addition,the navigation module may operate in conjunction with other modules(e.g., performing process 1400 in conjunction with the user interfaceinteraction module 3515, performing process 1900 in conjunction with theediting module 3520, etc.).

The version management module 3530 of some embodiments processesversioning and/or collaboration instructions received through theediting module 3520. The version management module may also accessand/or generate data (e.g., clip set data elements 3450, version dataelements 3460, collaborator data elements 3470, etc.) stored within theset of storages 3540. The version management module 3530 may perform,for example, some or all of the operations of processes 2200, 2800,3000, and/or 3200 in some embodiments. In addition, the versionmanagement module may operate in conjunction with other modules (e.g.,performing processes 2200, 2800, 3000, and/or 3200 in conjunction withthe navigation module 3525, etc.).

Rendering engine 3535 enables the storage or output of audio and videofrom the media editing application 3500. For example, rendering engine3535 uses data about media objects in a video scene to render the videoscene from the particular location, direction, etc. defined by a cameraobject. As such, the rendering engine receives, in some embodiments,data from the editing module 3520 so that a preview can be displayed.Data from the rendering engine 3535 (e.g., audio and video data of avideo scene, preview data, etc.) is passed to the display module 3575and/or the audio playback module 3570. The audio playback module enablesaudio playback from the media editing application 3500 on an audiodevice (e.g., a set of speakers or headphones). Display module 3575enables the display of the media editing application 3500 on a displaydevice (e.g., a CRT monitor, LCD screen, etc.). Alternatively, data maybe passed from the rendering engine 3535 to the set of storages 3540 forlater playback.

Although the application 3500 and its features have been described usingseveral specific embodiments, other embodiments might implement theapplication or its features using different resources or by placing thevarious modules in different specific locations. For instance, whilemany of the features have been described as being performed by onemodule (e.g., the UI interaction module 3515 or navigation module 3525),one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that a particularoperation might be performed using multiple modules. In addition,although various specific communication pathways have been described(e.g., navigation module 3525 and version management module 3530receiving instructions from the editing module 3520), one of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that various other pathways could beused (e.g., the navigation and version management modules receivinginstructions directly from the user interface interaction module).Furthermore, the application 3500 may include various other modules thanthose shown (e.g., a collaboration module for managing collaborationamong users).

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the conceptualdescriptions provided above in reference to FIGS. 34-35 may beimplemented using different embodiments without departing from thespirit of the invention. For instance, the various storage modules3545-3555 described above in reference to FIG. 35 may be implemented asa single storage element, where the various storage modules all exist atthe same physical location, and are differentiated using someappropriate method. As another example, various storage modules3545-3555 may be located externally to the application 3500 and accessedthrough a communication pathway (e.g., a bus). Section V below describesa process of some embodiments for defining and storing the softwaremodules described above. Section VI then describes a computer systemused by some embodiments to implement the various software modules andstructures described above.

V. Process for Defining a Media Editing Application

FIG. 36 conceptually illustrates a process 3600 of some embodiments fordefining and storing a media-editing application of some embodiments,such as application 3500. Specifically, process 3600 illustrates theoperations used to define sets of instructions for providing several ofthe elements shown in GUI 600 and performing various navigation, clipinsertion, version management, and collaboration operations describedabove.

As shown, process 3600 begins by defining (at 3610) sets of instructionsfor creating (or instantiating) navigation markers (e.g., markers 720described above in reference to FIG. 7) and associating the navigationmarkers with navigable locations (e.g., navigable locations 960-992described above in reference to FIG. 9) of a media editing project. Insome cases such sets of instructions are defined in terms ofobject-oriented programming code. For example, some embodiments mayinclude sets of instructions for defining classes and instantiatingvarious objects at runtime based on the defined classes. The processthen defines (at 3620) sets of instructions for navigating to a locationbased on a selection of a navigation marker (e.g., as described above inreference to FIG. 15).

Next, the process defines (at 3630) sets of instructions for performingversion management operations (e.g., the operations described above inreference to FIGS. 22-29). The process then defines (at 3640) sets ofinstructions for performing collaboration operations (e.g., theoperations described above in reference to FIGS. 30-33).

The process then defines (at 3650) sets of instructions for providingvarious other user interface features for invoking and/or utilizing thenavigation tool, clip insertion feature, version management feature,and/or collaboration feature. These user interface features may includeitems such as pop-up or drop-down menus (e.g., menu 1870, menu 1170,etc.), and/or other items (e.g., version display area 2510, sectionboundary indicators 2430-2440, buffer areas 2450-2460, etc.).

Next, process 3600 defines (at 3660) sets of instructions for providingother media editing items and functionalities. Examples of such editingitems may include zoom, color enhancement, blemish removal, audiomixing, etc. In addition, various other media editing functionalitiesmay be defined. Such functionalities may include library functions,format conversion functions, etc. The process defines these additionaltools in order to create a media editing application that has manyadditional features to the features described above.

The process then stores (at 3670) the defined media editing application(i.e., the various sets of instructions) on a computer readable storagemedium. In some embodiments, the medium is one or more of a solid-statedevice, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, or other non-volatile computer readablestorage medium.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the various sets ofinstructions defined by process 3600 are not exhaustive of the sets ofinstructions that could be defined and stored on a computer readablestorage medium for a media editing application incorporating someembodiments of the invention. In addition, the process 3600 is aconceptual process, and the actual implementations may vary. Forexample, different embodiments may define the various sets ofinstructions in a different order, may define several sets ofinstructions in one operation, may decompose the definition of a singleset of instructions into multiple operations, etc. In addition, theprocess 3600 may be implemented as several sub-processes or combinedwith other operations within a macro-process.

VI. Computer System

Many of the above-described processes and modules are implemented assoftware processes that are specified as a set of instructions recordedon a computer readable storage medium (also referred to as “computerreadable medium” or “machine readable medium”). When these instructionsare executed by one or more computational element(s), such as processorsor other computational elements like Application-Specific ICs (“ASIC”)and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (“FPGA”), they cause thecomputational element(s) to perform the actions indicated in theinstructions. Computer is meant in its broadest sense, and can includeany electronic device with a processor. Examples of computer readablemedia include, but are not limited to, CD-ROMs, flash drives, RAM chips,hard drives, EPROMs, etc. The computer readable media does not includecarrier waves and/or electronic signals passing wirelessly or over wiredconnection.

In this specification, the term “software” includes firmware residing inread-only memory or applications stored in magnetic storage which can beread into memory for processing by one or more processors. Also, in someembodiments, multiple software inventions can be implemented assub-parts of a larger program while remaining distinct softwareinventions. In some embodiments, multiple software inventions can alsobe implemented as separate programs. Finally, any combination ofseparate programs that together implement a software invention describedherein is within the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, thesoftware programs when installed to operate on one or more computersystems define one or more specific machine implementations that executeand perform the operations of the software programs.

FIG. 37 conceptually illustrates a computer system 3700 with which someembodiments of the invention are implemented. For example, the systemdescribed above in reference to FIG. 35 may be at least partiallyimplemented using sets of instructions that are run on the computersystem 3700. As another example, the processes described in reference toFIGS. 10, 14-15, 17, 19, 22, 26, 28, 30, and 32 may be at leastpartially implemented using sets of instructions that are run on thecomputer system 3700.

Such a computer system includes various types of computer readablemediums and interfaces for various other types of computer readablemediums. Computer system 3700 includes a bus 3710, at least oneprocessing unit (e.g., a processor) 3720, a system memory 3730, aread-only memory (ROM) 3740, a permanent storage device 3750, a graphicsprocessing unit (“GPU”) 3760, input devices 3770, output devices 3780,and a network connection 3790. The components of the computer system3700 are electronic devices that automatically perform operations basedon digital and/or analog input signals. The various examples of userinterfaces shown in FIGS. 6-8, 11-13, 16, 18, 20-21, 23-25, 27, 31, and33 may be at least partially implemented using sets of instructions thatare run on the computer system 3700 and displayed using the outputdevices 3780.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the computer system3700 may be embodied in other specific forms without deviating from thespirit of the invention. For instance, the computer system may beimplemented using various specific devices either alone or incombination. For example, a local PC may include the input devices 3770and output devices 3780, while a remote PC may include the other devices3710-3760, with the local PC connected to the remote PC through anetwork that the local PC accesses through its network connection 3790(where the remote PC is also connected to the network through a networkconnection).

The bus 3710 collectively represents all system, peripheral, and chipsetbuses that communicatively connect the numerous internal devices of thecomputer system 3700. In some cases, the bus 3710 may include wirelessand/or optical communication pathways in addition to or in place ofwired connections. For example, the input devices 3770 and/or outputdevices 3780 may be coupled to the system 3700 using a wireless localarea network (W-LAN) connection, Bluetooth®, or some other wirelessconnection protocol or system.

The bus 3710 communicatively connects, for example, the processor 3720with the system memory 3730, the ROM 3740, and the permanent storagedevice 3750. From these various memory units, the processor 3720retrieves instructions to execute and data to process in order toexecute the processes of some embodiments. In some embodiments theprocessor includes an FPGA, an ASIC, or various other electroniccomponents for execution instructions.

The ROM 3740 stores static data and instructions that are needed by theprocessor 3720 and other modules of the computer system. The permanentstorage device 3750, on the other hand, is a read-and-write memorydevice. This device is a non-volatile memory unit that storesinstructions and data even when the computer system 3700 is off. Someembodiments of the invention use a mass-storage device (such as amagnetic or optical disk and its corresponding disk drive) as thepermanent storage device 3750.

Other embodiments use a removable storage device (such as a floppy disk,flash drive, or CD-ROM) as the permanent storage device. Like thepermanent storage device 3750, the system memory 3730 is aread-and-write memory device. However, unlike storage device 3750, thesystem memory 3730 is a volatile read-and-write memory, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM). The system memory stores some of the instructionsand data that the processor needs at runtime. In some embodiments, thesets of instructions and/or data used to implement the invention'sprocesses are stored in the system memory 3730, the permanent storagedevice 3750, and/or the read-only memory 3740. For example, the variousmemory units include instructions for processing multimedia items inaccordance with some embodiments.

In addition, the bus 3710 connects to the GPU 3760. The GPU of someembodiments performs various graphics processing functions. Thesefunctions may include display functions, rendering, compositing, and/orother functions related to the processing or display of graphical data.

The bus 3710 also connects to the input devices 3770 and output devices3780. The input devices 3770 enable the user to communicate informationand select commands to the computer system. The input devices includealphanumeric keyboards and pointing devices (also called “cursor controldevices”). The input devices also include audio input devices (e.g.,microphones, MIDI musical instruments, etc.) and video input devices(e.g., video cameras, still cameras, optical scanning devices, etc.).The output devices 3780 include printers, electronic display devicesthat display still or moving images, and electronic audio devices thatplay audio generated by the computer system. For instance, these displaydevices may display a GUI. The display devices include devices such ascathode ray tubes (“CRT”), liquid crystal displays (“LCD”), plasmadisplay panels (“PDP”), surface-conduction electron-emitter displays(alternatively referred to as a “surface electron display” or “SED”),etc. The audio devices include a PC's sound card and speakers, a speakeron a cellular phone, a Bluetooth® earpiece, etc. Some or all of theseoutput devices may be wirelessly or optically connected to the computersystem.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 37, bus 3710 also couples computer 3700 to anetwork 3790 through a network adapter (not shown). In this manner, thecomputer can be a part of a network of computers (such as a local areanetwork (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), an Intranet, or a networkof networks, such as the Internet. For example, the computer 3700 may becoupled to a web server (network 3790) so that a web browser executingon the computer 3700 can interact with the web server as a userinteracts with a GUI that operates in the web browser.

As mentioned above, some embodiments include electronic components, suchas microprocessors, storage and memory that store computer programinstructions in a machine-readable or computer-readable medium(alternatively referred to as computer-readable storage media,machine-readable media, or machine-readable storage media). Someexamples of such computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, read-onlycompact discs (CD-ROM), recordable compact discs (CD-R), rewritablecompact discs (CD-RW), read-only digital versatile discs (e.g., DVD-ROM,dual-layer DVD-ROM), a variety of recordable/rewritable DVDs (e.g.,DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc.), flash memory (e.g., SD cards, mini-SDcards, micro-SD cards, etc.), magnetic and/or solid state hard drives,read-only and recordable blu-ray discs, ultra density optical discs, anyother optical or magnetic media, and floppy disks. The computer-readablemedia may store a computer program that is executable by a device suchas an electronics device, a microprocessor, a processor, amulti-processor (e.g., an IC with several processing units on it) andincludes sets of instructions for performing various operations. Thecomputer program excludes any wireless signals, wired download signals,and/or any other ephemeral signals.

Examples of hardware devices configured to store and execute sets ofinstructions include, but are not limited to, ASICs, FPGAs, programmablelogic devices (“PLDs”), ROM, and RAM devices. Examples of computerprograms or computer code include machine code, such as produced by acompiler, and files including higher-level code that are executed by acomputer, an electronic component, or a microprocessor using aninterpreter.

As used in this specification and any claims of this application, theterms “computer”, “server”, “processor”, and “memory” all refer toelectronic or other technological devices. These terms exclude people orgroups of people. For the purposes of this specification, the termsdisplay or displaying mean displaying on an electronic device. As usedin this specification and any claims of this application, the terms“computer readable medium” and “computer readable media” are entirelyrestricted to tangible, physical objects that store information in aform that is readable by a computer. These terms exclude any wirelesssignals, wired download signals, and/or any other ephemeral signals.

It should be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that any orall of the components of computer system 3700 may be used in conjunctionwith the invention. Moreover, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that any other system configuration may also be used inconjunction with the invention or components of the invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to numerousspecific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. For example, several embodiments weredescribed above by reference to particular media editing applicationswith particular features and components (e.g., the navigation tool, theversion display area). However, one of ordinary skill in the art willrealize that other embodiments might be implemented with other types ofmedia editing applications with other types of features and components(e.g., other types of version display areas).

Moreover, while the examples shown illustrate many individual modules asseparate blocks (e.g., the navigation module 3525, the versionmanagement module 3530, etc.), one of ordinary skill in the art wouldrecognize that some embodiments may combine these modules into a singlefunctional block or element. One of ordinary skill in the art would alsorecognize that some embodiments may divide a particular module intomultiple modules. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatthe invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrativedetails, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a media editingapplication for execution by at least one processing unit, saidapplication comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), said GUIcomprising: a composite display area for displaying a plurality ofgraphical representations of a plurality of media clips that are part ofa plurality of sections of a composite media presentation that theapplication creates by compositing the plurality of media clips; anavigation tool comprising a plurality of selectable navigation markersassociated with the plurality of sections of the composite mediapresentation; and a media display area for displaying a plurality ofselectable elements corresponding to a plurality of media clips that areavailable for placement in the composite media presentation, wherein (i)selection of a particular element and placing the particular elementover a particular navigation marker causes the composite display area toshift the represented composite media presentation in the compositedisplay area to the section that is associated with the particularnavigation marker in order to provide a visual indication of any mediaclips that are part of the section and (ii) release of the selection ofthe particular element over the particular navigation marker causes theaddition of the media clip corresponding to the particular element tothe section associated with the particular navigation marker.
 2. Thenon-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the compositedisplay area comprises a timeline associated with a duration of thecomposite media presentation, the plurality of sections spanningdifferent portions along the timeline, wherein a span size of theportion of each section is based on a duration of the section, whereinat least two sections spanning different portions along the timelinehave different durations.
 3. The non-transitory machine readable mediumof claim 2, wherein the composite display area presents shifts therepresented composite media presentation in the composite display areato the section associated with the particular navigation marker by (i)determining a viewing range based on the span size of the section and(ii) adjusting the display of the composite media presentation to fitthe determined viewing range.
 4. The non-transitory machine readablemedium of claim 3, wherein the display of the composite mediapresentation is adjusted by performing a zooming operation at thesection of composite media presentation.
 5. The non-transitory machinereadable medium of claim 4, wherein the zooming operation is for zoomingin on the section of the composite media presentation when the sectionis smaller than the viewing range and for zooming out from the sectionwhen the section is larger than the viewing range.
 6. The non-transitorymachine readable medium of claim 1, wherein each of the sectionsassociated with the navigation markers is associated with at least onemedia clip in the composite media presentation.
 7. The non-transitorymachine readable medium of claim 6, wherein each particular navigationmarker is a thumbnail image of a particular media clip of a particularsection that is associated with the particular navigation marker.
 8. Thenon-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein each sectionhas a particular duration in the composite media presentation based ondurations of the media clips in the section, wherein a first sectioncomprising a first set of media clips has a different duration than asecond section comprising a second set of media clips.
 9. Thenon-transitory machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein all of thesections have the same duration and span contiguous portions of thecomposite media presentation.
 10. A method for creating multimediapresentations, the method comprising: displaying, in a composite displayarea of a media-editing application, a plurality of graphicalrepresentations of media clips that are part of a plurality of sectionsof a composite media presentation; displaying a navigation toolcomprising a plurality of selectable navigation markers associated withthe plurality of sections of the composite media presentation;displaying, in a media display area, a plurality of selectable elementscorresponding to a plurality of media clips that are available forplacement in the composite media presentation; receiving user input toselect a particular element and place the particular element over aparticular navigation marker; automatically shifting the representedcomposite media presentation in the composite display area to thesection that is associated with the particular navigation marker inorder to provide a visual indication of any media clips that are part ofthe section; after shifting the composite media presentation, receivinguser input to release the selection of the particular element over theparticular navigation marker; and adding the media clip corresponding tothe particular element to the section associated with the particularnavigation marker.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprisingdisplaying a preview of the composite presentation in a preview displayarea of the media-editing application.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the navigation tool is displayed adjacent to the compositedisplay area and spans along the composite display area in a directionalong which the graphical representations of the media clips arearranged in the composite display area.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the plurality of navigation markers are arranged in at least onerow that spans along the composite display area in said direction. 14.The method of claim 10, wherein the navigation tool is displayed withinthe composite display area and spans along the composite display area ina direction along which the graphical representations of the media clipsare arranged in the composite display area.
 15. The method of claim 10,wherein the navigation tool further comprises a set of selectableelements for navigating through a set of recently-selected sections ofthe composite media presentation.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe set of selectable elements comprises a back button and a forwardbutton.
 17. A method for creating composite media presentations using amedia editing application, said method comprising: providing a compositedisplay area for displaying graphical representations of a plurality ofmedia clips that are part of a plurality of sections of a compositemedia presentation; providing a navigation tool comprising a pluralityof selectable navigation markers associated with the plurality ofsections of the composite media presentation; and providing a mediadisplay area for displaying a plurality of selectable elementscorresponding to a plurality of media clips that are available forplacement in the composite media presentation, wherein (i) selection ofa particular element and placing the particular element over aparticular navigation marker causes the composite display area to shiftthe represented composite media presentation in the composite displayarea to the section that is associated with the particular navigationmarker in order to provide a visual indication of any media clips thatare part of the section and (ii) release of the selection of theparticular element over the particular navigation marker causes theaddition of the media clip corresponding to the particular element tothe section associated with the particular navigation marker.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein each section has a particular duration,wherein the release of the selection of the particular element over theparticular navigation marker causes the duration of the sectionassociated with the particular navigation marker to be increased b theduration of the media clip corresponding to the particular element. 19.The method of claim 17, wherein the release of the selection of theparticular element over the particular navigation marker causes a firstportion of the media clip corresponding to the particular element to beassociated with the section associated with the particular navigationmarker and a second portion of the media clip to be associated with adifferent section of the composite media presentation.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the different section is adjacent to the sectionassociated with the particular navigation marker wherein the media clipcorresponding to the particular element is added to a set of media clipsassociated with the different section.
 21. The method of claim 17,wherein the graphical representations of the media clips in thecomposite display area span along a timeline and the sections comprisedurations along the timeline.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein thecomposite media presentation comprises a plurality of tracks, whereinthe release of the selection of the particular element over theparticular navigation marker causes the media clip corresponding to theparticular element to be associated with a particular track in thecomposite media presentation.
 23. A non-transitory machine readablemedium storing a media-editing application for execution by at least oneprocessing unit, the computer program comprising sets of instructionsfor: displaying a plurality of graphical representations of media clipsthat are part of a plurality of sections of a composite mediapresentation in a composite display area; displaying a navigation toolcomprising a plurality of selectable navigation markers associated witha plurality of navigable sections in the composite media presentation;displaying, in a media display area, a plurality of selectable elementscorresponding to a plurality of media clips that are available forplacement in the composite media presentation; receiving user input toselect a particular element and place the particular element over aparticular navigation marker; automatically shifting the representedcomposite media presentation in the composite display area to thesection that is associated with the particular navigation marker inorder to provide a visual indication of any media clips that are part ofthe section; after shifting the composite media presentation, receivinguser input to release the selection of the particular element over theparticular navigation marker; and adding the media clip corresponding tothe particular element to the section associated with the particularnavigation marker.
 24. The non-transitory machine readable medium ofclaim 23, wherein the media clips in the composite display area spanalong a timeline, each media clip having a particular duration, whereina duration of each section is based on a portion of the timeline overwhich the media clips in the section span.
 25. The non-transitorymachine readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of instructions forautomatically shifting to the section comprises sets of instructionsfor: comparing a duration of a viewable portion of the composite displayarea at a current scale to a duration of the section associated with theparticular navigation marker; when a duration of the section exceeds theduration of the viewable portion, zooming out of the section of thecomposite media presentation to fit the section in the viewable portion;and when the duration of the viewable portion exceeds the duration ofthe section, zooming in on the section to fit the section in theviewable portion.
 26. The non-transitory machine readable medium ofclaim 23, wherein each selectable navigation marker is a thumbnail imagefrom a media clip in the section that is associated with the selectablenavigation marker.
 27. The non-transitory machine readable medium ofclaim 23, wherein each section has a duration, wherein the media-editingapplication further comprises sets of instructions for: updating theexisting duration of the section associated with the particularnavigation marker after the media clip corresponding to the particularelement is added to the section; and when the updated duration differsfrom the existing duration by more than a threshold amount, modifying ascale of the composite display area to fit the updated duration of thesection.
 28. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 23,wherein the media-editing application further comprises a set ofinstructions for displaying a directional indicator while shifting therepresented composite media presentation in the composite display areato the section that is associated with the particular navigation marker.29. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 27, wherein thecomputer program further comprises a set of instructions for displayinga zoom indicator when the updated duration differs from the existingduration by more than the threshold amount, said zoom indicatordisplayed while modifying the scale of the composite display area to fitthe updated duration of the section.